#paulhelleu — Public Fediverse posts

"An Out-of-Doors Study," John Singer Sargent, 1889.

I've talked about Sargent before, so I won't go into detail except to reiterate that he was THE great society painter of the Edwardian era whose portraits were in demand.

Here we have a double portrait of his friend, painter Paul Helleu, and his wife Alice. Sargent was experimenting with this canvas, trying a different arrangement than his usual, and I think it's a lovely, intimate scene. Paul is busily at work on a new painting; Alice, though, looks disengaged and bored. I was inclined to draw conclusions about their marriage but some research indicates they had a strong and happy marriage, and she was quite a business partner for him.

Wouldn't it be nice to sit by a river and paint?

From the Brooklyn Museum.

#Art #Impressionism #JohnSingerSargent #PaulHelleu #PleinAir