Isabella Stewart Gardner (1888) by John Singer Sargent and my modern day imitation. Thank you to Vitoria Waterkemper for agreeing to be my model!
Black and White Variation
Tactile Medium (Hand-drawn) Variation
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In your three versions and the original work I get a great feeling of serenity. The light, solid backgrounds create a scene of innocence to me, which is very much evident in the original work. Also the shadows in your three versions sort of remind me of angelic wings. I relate this to the design of the background in the original work and how it gives off a mystical, heavenly sensation.
I liked how you chose to keep the light in your variations in the same area as the original painting. We are drawn to her face rather than her figure, and the light behind your model gives her a heavenly, angelic feel that radiates throughout the entirety of the piece, which we can also interpret from the painting. I also like that your model is posing with seemingly more confidence than the original painting. Overall, very interesting interpretation.
I really enjoy the way you portray purity in these photos. In the first one, the purity of the subject is apparent because of her modest clothes and the innocent expression on her face, but with your first variation you portray purity by using extra light exposure and having your subject wear white. Then with your second, black and white variation your subject has an impure, almost demonic, look. Finally, correct me if I’m wrong, I believe your final, hand-drawn variation shows how arbitrary things like purity are, at least as far as imagery is concerned.
I really liked how you wanted to portray the innocence aspect of the original Sargent painting into your re-creations. They are somewhat difference since you chose your model to wear white, while the woman in the original painting is wearing black. Yet, anyone who can see it can definitely tell there is a sense of purity and innocence in both original and re-creation. I mostly liked the first and second variation you created.