The world of the Visual Arts...

Satirizing romanticism...

12:14 p.m.
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The portraits of John Sargent...

03/25/24 - If there was an artist during the 19th century who portrayed women of upper social class, dressed in the best of the nascent Haute Couture in Paris and London, it was John Singer Sargent (Italy, 1856-1925). The exhibition currently on display at the Tate Britain in London is a testimony of this, not only due to the impeccable mounting of the artist's paintings, but also due to the pairing with the original outfits worn by the sitters.

La Carmencita (Carmen Dauset Moreno), by John Singer Sargent (1890)

Technique: oil on canvas

It is said that posing for the artist was like a one-on-one between two people trying to fulfill their own desires: an encounter between the idealization that the artist intended to impose on the image to be portrayed and the narcissistic attitude of the person posing. The result was based on this space of collaboration and, at times, tension. The crossing of personalities caused such dynamism in the portraits that it made the work extremely alive, which is still maintained despite the passing of the years. Thus, the portrait becomes, then, a visual artifact accepted by everyone, even by those least initiated in the history of art who turn out to be the most critical when it comes to accepting the permanence of a work.

Mrs Edward Darley Boit (Mary Louisa Cushing), by John Singer Sargent (1887)

Technique: oil on canvas

Miss Elsie Palmer, or Lady in White, by John Singer Sargent (1889-90)

Technique: oil on canvas

Both the black polka dots on the pink satin skirt and the white dress in the second portrait define an outfit that in those days was typical for afternoon tea or an informal day out. Both produce a hypnotic effect on whoever looks at them. But neither of these two has the attraction of Madame X. The work belongs to the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and shows a woman dressed in black, a color that was considered exclusive for mourning. The pose of the sitter reminds us of that of a classical sculpture. Madame Gautreu, despite being born in the United States, was admired by Parisian social circles. She exaggerated not only what she wore but also the amount of white powder she covered her body with. The sign says that Sargent had to convince her to pose. The design of her velvet and satin dress could have belonged to the fashion house Maison Félix.

Madame X (Madame Pierre Gaultreau - Virginie Amélie Avegno), by John Singer Sargent (1883-4)

Técnica: óleo sobre tela.

As Georges Didi-Huberman wrote in Devant le Temps: "The image often has more memory and more future than the being that looks at it." Surely Madame X will transcend us and those to come.

9:31 a.m.
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Isabel Quintanilla...

20th Century

Pansies and watch, by Isabel Quintanilla (1964)

Technique: oil on wood

Private Collection

Glass of Carnations, by Isabel Quintanilla (1969)

Technique: oil on wood

Private Collection

White Carnation, by Isabel Quintanilla (1974)

Technique: oil on wood

Private Collection - Madrid

Pansies on top de the Fridge, by Isabel Quintanilla (1972)

Technique: oil on wood

Private Collection

11/03/24 - We discovered the Spanish artist, Isabel Quintanilla, thanks to the exhibition currently on display at the Thyssen Museum in Madrid and we assume that the same must have happened to many viewers, since this is her first solo exhibition.
Although she is included in the Spanish realist movement, Quintanilla (1938-2017) is a contemporary hyperrealist: the detail, the impeccable craftmanship, the handling of light and the brush stand out in each of the 90 paintings presented. This absolute mastery of the technique must have been acquired after going through different schools, which allowed her, as she herself expressed it, to “experience reality in another way.”
In this reality, which is her own and very similar to that of our grandparents or great-grandparents with interiors from the 40s and 50s of the 20th century, the artist does not include figures in her works, only objects. However, this absence provokes an unexpected emotion: as a viewer I recognize these spaces (they seem familiar to me) and since there are no people created by the artist, I include myself in them or my loved ones. It's this experience of absence what makes it different.

Bathroom, by Isabel Quintanilla (1968)

Technique: oil on wood

Private Collection

Kitchen I, by Isabel Quintanilla (170)

Technique: pencil on paper

Washbasin in the Colegio Santa María, by Isabel Quintanilla (1968)

Technique: oil on wood

Private Collection - Germany

We chose works from the 60s and 70s because they are exquisite expressions of nature and everyday environments, with a restricted palette and maximum detail. We only present a single painting from the 1990s in bright colors, apparently considered the “star” of this exhibition.

A final detail: the signs indicate that almost all of the paintings belong to private collections in Germany (where she presented her paintings in galleries) and Spain.