A lot's been going on lately so I've been low on time, but I was able to get this one done.
Sargent’s Two Women Asleep in a Punt under the Willows 1887
This painting is of two women floating in a boat on a summers day, nestled together, their white skirts glowing, they are sandwiched between two bright red bars that form the boats structure. The upper bodies of the women, including the hat of the woman on the right form a triangle pointing north, a bright red circle is near the center of the triangle, the bosom of the woman on the right is pale green, the shoulder of the woman on the left is lavender, the hat is a warm soft straw. These colors are repeated throughout the painting, but this is the center, the heart. Notice how the red behind the women’s head forms an arrow from the left to the right with a flat line that stops it from running away. The side of the boat on the right, the log it’s resting against and the reflection all point up towards the upper right corner. The water points to the upper right corner. What keeps the eye from leaving the canvas is the shore line and the tree trunk. The leaves on the tree on the upper left are heavy enough to weigh the eye back down to the boat by where the women’s feet lay.
There’s also some funny business going on in the water’s surface next to the the boat’s reflection but I can’t figure out what it is…. maybe it’s just leading the eye up and around the boat…. not sure.
The boat itself is an arrow.
The little bit of change of texture and color in the lower left corner is what keeps the eye from falling out of the picture, like a little plug of color, a little blip: stop.
It’s a circular design. Note how the foliage on the lower right leads the eye up to the tree trunk, which guides up and over to the willow branches that arch down onto the boat, where the shadows further guide the eye across the bottom of the painting back to the starting point.
There’s a lot of repetition going on too, from the shape of the boat being repeated in the shape of the water, and the faint purple line as indicated by the green arrows. More boat shapes in the water shadow pointed out by the aqua arrows. Repetition of red abound in the upper left area as well.
It’s a high contrast painting, the center is brilliant light surrounded by dark, surrounded by some light with more dark…a little bit of a bulls-eye effect.
I love how he’s put peaches against lavenders, and done the whites of the skirts. Oh, and the boat isn’t bad either!
I did notice how the limb drew the up and around as well as down toward the log taking us over to the artist. What impressed me was how he used those limbs and all the negative shapes to create such interest yet not take way from the strength of the figure. It also amazes me how none of the patterning is overwhelming but creates a cohesive look to the whole and is balanced out by the very dark restful areas. Not sure I'm saying all that right but hope you get my meaning.
Loved
Libby
It bothered me that they were where they were, but I didn't draw the line, I'll do it next time. 
Linear Mode
