Edna May In The Belle Of New York 1907

Sir John Lavery made this painting, Edna May In The Belle Of New York, with oil paints in a way that feels soft and kind of dreamy. It is a tonal painting, which means that Lavery was interested in the relationship between light and dark, and how colour changes and shifts in different light conditions. There's a lot happening with the paint itself; it’s brushed on in thin layers, so it’s almost like looking through a veil. Take a peek at the way he painted the hat – see how the red is deeper in some spots, lighter in others? It gives it this amazing depth, like you could almost reach out and touch the velvet. Now, check out her braid. The strokes are loose, almost scribbled, but somehow, they capture the weight and texture of the hair. It's a great example of how a painter can make a mark that speaks volumes, capturing both the form and a sense of movement. It reminds me a bit of Whistler’s portraits, where the subject feels more like a mood than a person, and that is because like Whistler, Lavery sought to capture the essence, not just the appearance, of his sitter. With Lavery, as with all art, there’s no single way to read it.