“The historical precedent for the Boit portrait can be found in the work of the seventeenth-century Spanish master Diego Velázquez, an artist greatly admired in nineteenth-century France. Sargent had traveled to Madrid in 1879 to make copies after Velázquez at the MuseoNacional del Prado; among the paintings he studied was Las Meninas (about 1656), a large and famous portrait of the young Spanish infanta with her maids in a great shadowed room. Sargent adapted Velázquez’s mysterious space, his dark subdued palette, and the manner in which his self-possessed princess directly confronts the viewer. At the same time, Sargent must have been thinking of the unusual portraits and oddly centrifugal compositions of his French contemporary Edgar Degas. The Daughters of Edward DarleyBoit shares some of Degas’s strategies: the asymmetrical composition with an almost empty center, the sense of disconnection between family members, and a feeling of modern life interrupted.”
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John Singer Sargent At Sunnyside
Paintings by John Singer Sargent
His Paintings
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose video at Khan Academy
Daughters of Edward Darley Boit at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
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John Singer Sargent at wikiwand
John Singer Sargent biography at MFA Boston
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~Sunnyside
At Sunnyside - Where Truth and Beauty Meet 
🤍🤍
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This was fascinating Sunnyside… I don’t think I would have seen all that for myself but it was so clear after watching the video. I recognized myself in the second-youngest child, looking off to one side and never quite being in the room. It’s a bit sad that the parents were okay with it being on display… doesn’t sound like they were in the room, either 😔 Poor little duckings… 😕💕
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I responded the same way but didn’t understand the context until watching the video, either. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Patti. “Poor little ducklings”, indeed! 🌻🙏
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The painting’s composition is truly startling and oddly compelling.
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I agree, Dora. Although this painting leaves me uneasy and unsettled, Sargent brilliantly opens the door to a wider conversation. 🌻🙏
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As always an great post!
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I am happy you enjoy this, Ellen. Thanks for your kind comment. 🙂🌻
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Fascinating information about the portrait.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Dolly. 🙂🌻
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The pleasure is mine, dear friend.
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Always found this painting a fascinating study.
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I couldn’t quite make sense of this one for years. Learning a little about the history of the family explains a lot. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Rosaliene. 🌻🙏
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Same here. It makes a difference when we know the history behind a painting. Thanks for sharing the video clip 🙂
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This painting is so strange yet so evocative of the modern malaise of entitlement ~ I’m sure that must be why it is so popular. One has to wonder whose thought, and by what process, ended the one daughter being posed almost invisibly…
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The almost invisible child speaks volumes about the probable family dysfunction…a sad commentary, yet so compelling. Thanks for sharing your impressions, dear Ana. ❤️🙏
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Thank you for this. The painting is very thought-provoking. I am going to watch the video now. 🙂
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🙂🌻🙏
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WOW, this is a visionary masterpiece, although a little creepy! Thanks for sharing this oil painting by John Singer Sargent. Quite intriguing.
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So creepy! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Kym. 🙂🌻
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You are so very welcome. It was interesting to read about his work for sure! Have a wonderful weekend my dear. 🥰💖😊
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And a wonderful weekend to you, also, Kym! 😎❤️
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Thanks so much my friend! 🥰💖😘
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Probably, because of this technic, the painting magnetizes and catchs the eyes. Beautiful portrait!
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Alexander. 🙂🌻
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fantastic, what a painting!
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I am happy you enjoy this, xtendedline. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
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