Sargent in the New Wing

This is John Singer Sargent's painting of the Boit Daughters, newly installed in the Art of the Americas Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

The new wing--four entirely separate floors--is absolutely superb, fully meeting our expectations from many reviews in the last few weeks.

Sargent (1856-1925) was a leading American painter of his period, above all as a portraitist. Diego Velásquez was one of the European painters who inspired him--and here Las Meninas from Madrid was Sargent's model. The huge Japanese vases flanking the painting are the same ones that Sargent painted--which the Boits took many times from Boston to Paris and back.*

*That last bit suddenly reminds me of our habits, migrating to Paris in the winter from Northampton. But the bulkiest things we schlep are my cameras, lens and a tripod! :-)