Tissot’s painting served as the inspiration for a gown worn by Gladys Russell on the show. Tissot was a French artist who spent a decade living in England, where this painting was created. He associated with the French Impressionists but never officially joined the movement (although he sometimes exhibited with some of them). The model is his lover, Kathleen Newton; their relationship caused quite the scandal as she was a divorcee with illegitimate children when she met the artist, and they lived openly (and quite happily) together until her tragic death at the age of 28 from tuberculosis. Tissot absorbed the Impressionist desire to capture modern life – especially that of the fashionable contemporary woman – but he was less focused on the idea of painting en plein air as his primary approach. Several details in “Seaside” prove that he used the same studio props in multiple paintings, such as the lovely white muslin gown with yellow ribbons and the flowered seat cushions, and he was known to add background details from previous sketches rather than painting exactly what was in front of him. The painting’s title is a bit odd and it is thought that Tissot included “Specimen of a Portrait” as an attempt to attract more portrait commissions. There is a second version of this painting that is very similar, except for two big differences: this version shows a beach scene outside the window whereas the other version includes a lighthouse in the background, and Kathleen’s hair style has been altered/updated (probably later, and possibly by another artist) in the Cleveland Museum version.
October's theme: Fabulous Gowns in Art
JAMES TISSOT (1836 – 1902), “Seaside (July: Specimen of a Portrait), 1878. Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio US.
Does this gown look familiar to my fellow HBO “The Gilded Age” fans?
#arthistory #art #Tissot #GladysRussell
