Portrait of Mrs. Francis Stanton Blake 1908

Julius Leblanc Stewart painted "Portrait of Mrs. Francis Stanton Blake" with oils, and what strikes me is the dialogue between the solid form of the figure and the way the brushstrokes dissolve at the edges. It feels like a dance between precision and letting go. The dress, a cascade of dark, velvety blacks, is punctuated with subtle shimmering highlights, but notice how Stewart allows the background to almost swallow the figure. This use of thin paint creates a sense of depth, but it also adds to the painting’s mood, which for me, feels both intimate and a little melancholic. The way her dress pools on the floor, the little flickers of light suggesting texture and movement...it's all beautifully observed. Stewart’s interest in capturing the textures of fabrics reminds me of John Singer Sargent, but with a more introspective feel. I am left wondering what Mrs. Blake was thinking as she posed.