Mrs. Benjamin Kissam 1888

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent's "Mrs. Benjamin Kissam" from 1888, a stunning oil on canvas portrait. The way the light catches the folds of her dress is just incredible. I'm immediately struck by the sheer elegance, but also, perhaps a slight melancholy in her gaze. What stands out to you? Curator: Oh, melancholy for sure! Sargent really excels at capturing the fleeting inner lives of his sitters. But beyond the expression, I see a negotiation with tradition. He's working within the confines of portraiture – a genre demanding a certain level of decorum – but pushing against it with his bravura brushwork. Look at how loosely the dress is rendered! He's not just painting fabric; he’s painting light itself, a shimmering vision. Tell me, does the colour palette evoke anything for you? Editor: It feels very…romantic, almost like a faded photograph. Curator: Precisely! And consider the strategic use of that bold red corsage. It draws your eye, disrupts the potentially saccharine sweetness of the lavender and cream, adds a spark, a vitality that prevents it from being merely a pretty picture. It feels deliberate, doesn't it? Editor: It definitely elevates the painting! Without it, it could risk fading into the background a bit more. Curator: Exactly. It's that subtle dance between surface and depth, appearance and reality. I always feel like I am peering into a soul through the surface. Editor: That’s a really insightful way to put it. I came in thinking about elegance and leaving thinking about inner lives, about a whole history beyond what is on the canvas. Thank you for changing my perspective! Curator: And thank you, your initial reading pointed to all that suppressed feeling - always a delight to unearth!