1884, John Singer Sargent, A Dinner Table at Night -- de Young Museum (San Francisco)
From the museum label:
Born in Florence, Italy, to American parents, John Singer Sargent traveled throughout Europe, where he studied art and established a patron base first in Paris, then in England and the United States. Unlike his more formal portraits commissioned by social elites in these countries, Le verre de porto (A Dinner Table at Night) presents a more intimate scene.
Staged in the English country house of Albert and Edith Vickers, the portrait has the informal air of a snapshot - its fluid brushwork, abstracted passages, and unusual angles of vision recalling the techniques of Impressionism. Elegantly dressed in a low-cut evening gown with translucent sleeves, Mrs. Vickers gazes out from the center of the composition. Sidelined and shown in profile, Mr. Vickers puffs absently on an after-dinner cigar. The table is cropped to convey the illusion that the viewer might occupy the space beyond the picture plane or perhaps even a seat at the table.
1884, John Singer Sargent, A Dinner Table at Night -- de Young Museum (San Francisco)
From the museum label:
Born in Florence, Italy, to American parents, John Singer Sargent traveled throughout Europe, where he studied art and established a patron base first in Paris, then in England and the United States. Unlike his more formal portraits commissioned by social elites in these countries, Le verre de porto (A Dinner Table at Night) presents a more intimate scene.
Staged in the English country house of Albert and Edith Vickers, the portrait has the informal air of a snapshot - its fluid brushwork, abstracted passages, and unusual angles of vision recalling the techniques of Impressionism. Elegantly dressed in a low-cut evening gown with translucent sleeves, Mrs. Vickers gazes out from the center of the composition. Sidelined and shown in profile, Mr. Vickers puffs absently on an after-dinner cigar. The table is cropped to convey the illusion that the viewer might occupy the space beyond the picture plane or perhaps even a seat at the table.