1886 (ca.), John Singer Sargent, Two Girls -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: Although likely painted around 1886 when Sargent made two important visits to a small artist's colony in the English village of Broadway, little else is known about this mysterious watercolor. Two girls in unconventional dress sit in a dark room. The modest architecture, rustic treatment, and open windows suggest a barn setting, perhaps the one that famed muralist Edwin Austin Abbey converted into his studio. The theatrical nature of the poses and dress has prompted several art historians to speculate that this work may record a scene from a play. Tableaux vivantes--silent poses invoking historic or literary figures, often acting out famous paintings--were popular activities at social gatherings as a form of artistic masquerade. They would have suited Sargent's intimate circle of friends with whom this work is associated.
1886 (ca.), John Singer Sargent, Two Girls -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: Although likely painted around 1886 when Sargent made two important visits to a small artist's colony in the English village of Broadway, little else is known about this mysterious watercolor. Two girls in unconventional dress sit in a dark room. The modest architecture, rustic treatment, and open windows suggest a barn setting, perhaps the one that famed muralist Edwin Austin Abbey converted into his studio. The theatrical nature of the poses and dress has prompted several art historians to speculate that this work may record a scene from a play. Tableaux vivantes--silent poses invoking historic or literary figures, often acting out famous paintings--were popular activities at social gatherings as a form of artistic masquerade. They would have suited Sargent's intimate circle of friends with whom this work is associated.