This Painting Revealed A Tragic Reality

meet Julia Mary Louisa Lawrence and Jane that got dark real fast this piece is called the daughters of Edward Darley Boyd by John Singer Sergeant what began as a simple portrait of his friends children turned into arguably the most psychologically compelling painting of Sergeant's career a Visionary Masterpiece that revealed the uncomfortable truths hiding beneath the veil of extravagance and money it's striking it's adorable it's creepy we were placed in the Hall of the boyt family's spacious shadowy Paris apartment our eyes are immediately drawn to the young girl sitting on a blue rug this is four-year-old Julia holding a pink baby doll in her lap she gazes in our direction as her body turns toward the window the sunlight streaming in bathes her in a radiant glow Illuminating her eager innocence her Tiny Toes turn inward as if she's slightly broken a pose she was asked to maintain for the picture to the left of the painting Mary Louisa emerges partially veiled by Shadows while physically present her gaze averts revealing a sense of inner Detachment the crisp white pinafore she wears accentuates the interplay between the bright light pouring in through the window and the contrasting Darkness on the other side of the room benivores were garmin's children used to wear during play to keep their nice clothes clean underneath it's believed that Sergeant requested the girls wear them so they that he could show off his ability to capture light and volume on white fabric the older sisters stand toward the center of the painting twelve-year-old Jane emerges from the darkness and gazes in our Direction with a dazed and bewildered expression on her face beside her 14 year old Florence casually leans against a Japanese face that Towers over her her detached stance suggests that she'd rather be somewhere anywhere else she stands out from the rest of the sisters as we only see her in profile her focus is fixed on the dark room with mirrors in the background that resembles a black hole a second matching vase frames the girls to the right of the painting but is partially cut off which I have to say is super unsatisfying the sisters are scattered around the room in a way that evokes a sense of unease it's as if the boundary between human and inanimate blurs and the girls become one with the fancy wood floors and Deluxe spaces Sergeant introduces us to a world that simultaneous obviously draws Us in and alienates us at the same time this doesn't feel like a home as much as a transient realm a Purgatory of sorts that Echoes both affluence and emotional neglect while Hollow vases take the place of parents an air of solitude hangs in the balance who would request a portrait like this of their children Sergeant was good friends with the parents of the girls Edward boyt also known as Ned and Mary Louise aboit also known as Isa nedboid was a Harvard trained lawyer from Boston Issa was the only daughter of John Perkins Cushing a wealthy American sea Merchant who made the majority of his millions smuggling opium into China during the early 19th century a family friend commented on their marriage that it is a great thing for Ned Boyd certainly this match with Isa Cushing and her millions of golden charms writer Henry James described her as always social always irresponsible always expansive always amused used and amusing and eternally juvenile esa's inheritance allowed Ned to quit his job and pursue his dream of being a water colorist and also enabled the couple to travel extensively throughout Europe before eventually settling in Paris although they never stayed anywhere very long when describing esa's relationship with her children James wrote poor Mrs boyt she has as much business with her daughters as she has with elephants her elephants grow bigger and bigger all the while and she doesn't but only grows older and sadder and further away from her happy laughing irresponsible years I'm going to take a step back from 19th Century High Society 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whether this painting was commissioned by Ned and esavoit or a personal request by Sergeant we do know that it's a very bizarre portrait especially because you can't even see all of the girls faces Sergeant's visit to Madrid where he studied Diego Velasquez's Masterpiece Los meninas a few years prior left a profound impression on him inspired by the Spanish Master Sergeant decided to create his own modern take on the painting similarities can be seen in the spacious Moody room the dark color palette and The Sensation we get that we're intruding on the subjects Sergeant was also likely inspired by Edgar Degas and the disconnected nature of his subjects in contrast to Conventional Victorian portraits the depicted children as many versions of their parents these girls are portrayed as Unique Individuals when this painting was displayed in the Paris Salon in 1883 it was controversial to say the least critics said the composition was odd and the girls looked like wooden figures one critic even referred to it as four corners and a void the daughters traveled a lot with their parents during their childhood and throughout their many voyages across the Atlantic to New England the iconic vases journeyed alongside them art historian Erica hirschler describes them as constant symbols of home for the girls later in life the two younger sisters Julia and Mary Louisa moved to Newport Rhode Island like her father Julia became a talented watercolorist but she never made a career out of it perhaps because she inherited enough money that she didn't really have to both of the older sisters struggled in their transition to adulthood during Florence's coming out period her uncle wrote that she was rude and ungrateful to her mother and showed an affectation of indifference for all that is interesting to young girls of her age Florence moved to Boston as an adult and lived with her cousin she was a golf Enthusiast and the first person to introduce the sport to New England in 1892. in the early 1900s Florence began experiencing mental health issues and was admitted into an institution she died just two years later on the other hand Jane's physical and mental health started deteriorating when she was only 18 years old and she required constant nursing care throughout her life none of the four girls ever married which was a little odd but not entirely uncommon at the time for women of their means however their tight-knit Social Circles primarily consisting of family members coupled with the health challenges based by the older sisters does make you wonder could Sergeant tell when he created this portrait that something was a little off if it is true that Sergeant possessed an intuitive Insight when capturing these girls in paint perhaps it was because he saw glimpses of his childhood self within them like the boy daughters John Singer Sergeant descended from a wealthy Massachusetts family before he was born his parents went on vacation to Europe and never returned to the U.S living solely off their savings and inheritance as a result the artist spent many of his formative years traveling across Europe just like the girls Sergeant was only 26 years old when he created the daughters of Edward Darley Boyd just one year before his Infamous Madame X portrait that caused such a scandal in Paris that it forced the artist to flee to London nevertheless Sergeant went on to have a wildly successful art career his exceptional talent for capturing the essence and character of his subjects made him a renowned portrait artist much like the Boyd daughters Sergeant never married and maintained a limited number of connections Beyond his immediate family during his life he died of a heart attack at the a age of 69 with a volume of Voltaire sitting beside him if you ever go to visit this painting in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts you'll be greeted with the very vases Sergeant studied when he painted this piece in 1882 as they were donated by the boy heirs and now frame either side of the canvas when you look at this painting what do you see a happy play World of charming children as Henry James once described it or the different developmental stages of childhood transitioning to the unknown darkness of adulthood or a peek into the world of four girls overshadowed by wealthy but absent parents I think that the many interpretations of this painting reflects our views on childhood our perception of darkness and Stillness and perhaps even our understanding of our own selves I think the reason this piece is the most psychologically compelling painting of Sergeant's career is because he masterfully portrays the distinctive personality of each girl while simultaneously encouraging us to embark on a therapeutic journey of self-reflection by gazing at our own childhood selves in the words of valtter the mirror is a worthless invention the only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else's eyes

Channel: Art Deco

Views: 31,564

Keywords: John singer sargent, Sargent, The daughters of edward darley boit, Painting, French, American, 19th century, 1800s, Portrait, Creepy, Art, Fine art, Classic art, Famous, Isa boit, John perkins cushing, Ned boit, Renaissance, Victorian, MFA Boston, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Children, Henry James, Explain, Explained, Interesting, Facts, Story, Deep dive, Secret, Dark, Mystery, Art criticism, Freaky, scary, best, top, most, meanings, masterpiece, Boston, Massachusetts, art history, Paris salon, Paris, art

Id: xqWpqsYSO2c

Length: 10min 6sec (606 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 08 2023