John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. Here we see a painting much more intimate than glamorous. Sargent probably painted Two Girls on a Lawn at Fladbury Rectory, an old house he rented in Worcestershire, in the English countryside. His sister Violet is shown at left, wearing a black mourning dress as her father, Dr. FitzWilliam Sargent, had recently died. The woman in white is a family friend about whom little is known. In this work, Sargent was less concerned with capturing individual likenesses than with creating a daring two-dimensional pattern in black and white, against the broadly painted grassy background.
Have a great Thursday everyone!