1902 (ca.), John Singer Sargent, Venetian Tavern (Venetian Wineshop) -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: Unlike the myriad tavern interiors that pervade the history of Western art, Sargent's subject is more accurately described as a portrait of the effects of tone and brushstroke. Thickly painted passages on two of the women's dresses--one in white, the other in red--immediately draw the viewer into the canvas. At the same time, a variety of poses allows for experimentation, from loosely defined bodies to more tightly rendered heads. As one critic was quick to recognize, Sargent's economic use of paint fostered a sense of immediacy and vitality so transformative as to invoke the act of creation itself.
1902 (ca.), John Singer Sargent, Venetian Tavern (Venetian Wineshop) -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: Unlike the myriad tavern interiors that pervade the history of Western art, Sargent's subject is more accurately described as a portrait of the effects of tone and brushstroke. Thickly painted passages on two of the women's dresses--one in white, the other in red--immediately draw the viewer into the canvas. At the same time, a variety of poses allows for experimentation, from loosely defined bodies to more tightly rendered heads. As one critic was quick to recognize, Sargent's economic use of paint fostered a sense of immediacy and vitality so transformative as to invoke the act of creation itself.