Artwork
Blue Eyes
Blue Eyes is an oil painting. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The work is an oil painting on wood depicting a seated woman.
About this work
Technique & Style
Stylistically, the handling reflects a precise, linear approach characteristic of period American portraiture.
Blue Eyes is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel support. Dating to 1850, the work employs traditional oil paint applied directly to the panel, a technique common among American portraitists of the mid-nineteenth century.
Stylistically, the handling reflects a precise, linear approach characteristic of period American portraiture. Brushwork appears controlled, with smooth transitions between forms, emphasizing clarity and detail in the depiction of facial features, particularly the titular blue eyes. The condition of the painting is not explicitly detailed in the sources, but its inclusion in the National Gallery of Art suggests it has been preserved in a stable state.
History & Provenance
Blue Eyes is an oil-on-wood portrait dated 1850, attributed to an anonymous American 19th-century painter. The work is recorded as having originated in Maine.
In 1948 the painting was acquired by Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. The Garbisches subsequently gave the work to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1953, where it remains in the collection.
Blue Eyes is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it entered the collection as a gift from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch in 1953. The Garbisches had acquired the painting in 1948, and the work is recorded as having originated in Maine prior to that purchase. No additional exhibition history is documented in the available sources. documents the 1948 purchase and 1953 gift to the NGA, while confirms the painting's current location at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Overview
The work is an oil painting on wood depicting a seated woman. She has dark hair gathered back, striking blue eyes, and wears a modest green dress accented by a white collar and a red bow at the neckline. The composition is set against a uniform brown oval background that isolates the figure and emphasizes her facial features.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter’s expression is composed and slightly solemn, suggesting a quiet introspection. The contrast between the vivid blue of her eyes and the muted tones of her attire and backdrop draws attention to her gaze, inviting viewers to contemplate her inner state.
Artist & collection
Elise Ljungman, m. Paint Manufacturer and the Director of an Orphanage Signeul in Uddevalla
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