Triumph and Scandal at the Salon

In Paris, Sargent exhibited regularly at the celebrated annual Salon, where the stylishness and virtuosity of his early portraits established his reputation and enabled him to attract an international clientele. He distinguished himself not only for his bravura brushwork, but also for his ability to suggest psychological nuances beneath appearances. In The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit , of 1882, the unusual arrangement of the figures gives the painting its emotional intensity. Shunning the conventions of group portraits, Sargent posed the four girls, aged four to fourteen, in their vast Paris apartment as if they had just been interrupted in their activities. Yet their placement also hints at their characters, from the candid youngest child, brightly lit in the foreground, to the more introverted teenager, almost hidden in the background shadow. (continue)