Tissot: Master of Technique

“‘Waiting’…demonstrates Tissot’s supreme skill as a painter in oils. The deft strokes and subtle colours of autumn leaves against shimmering water and filtered sunlight vie with Impressionist paintings, and the patch of water on the right, with reflected trees and floating leaves, is a painterly tour-de-force…Tissot is thought of principally as a painter of detail; his ability to convey costume and boating minutiae can mislead people into thinking he paints meticulously with a tiny brush, whereas in reality he paints with rapid, fluent, and often broad, touches. Angled lines of blacks and greys capture the pleats of the young woman’s skirt below her cream tunic, which is edged with matching flower-patterned lace that is painted in assured quick dabs, contrasting with the tunic’s undulating and jagged strokes. The single right glove is astounding: few painters could create such a believable rendition of fine leather empty of fingers and palm. READ FULL ESSAY: Christie’s

There is Mystery Afoot!

Because of Tissot’s placement of the boat in ‘Waiting’, we, as viewers, feel as if we are sitting opposite her in the boat.  Her enigmatic gaze is directed up and to the right, as if looking for or at a third person.

“She looks away and only the dog looks directly at the viewer. …One glove lies in front of her, while her right hand is both gloveless and ringless….The single right glove lies on the thwart and gapes open towards the right, on a blue-spotted and striped white towel.” Christie’s

Christie’s askes these questions of the viewer:

• Has the suitor removed the young woman’s glove in preparation for a proposal, or is it she who has removed a glove in expectation, or even ‘thrown down the gauntlet’ in challenge?
• Are we, the viewers, in the position of a friend or chaperone?
• Should we be encouraging or dissuading a proposal?

When in Doubt, Ask the Dog

The pug’s protective gaze is the only one directed at the viewer, so neither I nor the young woman in the boat should relax quite yet.

Click For Enlarged Detail

Note

• All quotes are from the Christie’s Lot Essay, They credit Krystyna Matyjaszkiewicz for providing this catalogue entry.

Thanks for Visiting 🌻

~Sunnyside