Edith Vickers

This transformative reproduction takes its inspiration from John Singer Sargent’s A Dinner Table At Night, circa 1884. This interpretation focuses in on Edith Vickers, a patron and benefactor of Sargent’s, removing Edith’s husband Charles, along with other accoutrements on the table, from the composition. This reduction, along with the loose approach of most of the work, allows the viewer to focus on the sharper details on the subject’s face. The resulting affect, while making eye contact with the subject, is similar to what one sees in their peripheral vision, with only the visual information necessary to convey the dining room setting.  This piece maintains a strong, monochromatic approach in its abundant use of reds, which de-emphasizes the broader color palette of this piece compared to others in the collection. A particularly favorite detail in this piece is the cup of wine in the subject’s hand, which distorts the shapes showing through the glass into swirls and highlights. Another noteworthy aspect of this piece is that the original did not provide the detail needed to accurately depict the finer points of the subject’s face. While researching Sargent’s original a single photograph of Mrs. Vickers was found and provided the basis for the portrait, making this a significantly more accurate portrayal than it otherwise may have been.