Marjorie and Little Edmund (1928) by Edmund Charles Tarbell
Artwork Name
Marjorie and Little Edmund (1928)
Artist
Edmund Charles Tarbell (1862–1938), American
Dimensions
Oil on canvas
Collection Source
Private collection
License
Public Domain Content: Free for Personal & Commercial Use
2267 x 2861 pixels, JPEG, 6.33 MB
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About the Artist
Edmund Charles Tarbell (1862–1938), American, A leading figure in American Impressionism, this painter captured the quiet elegance of domestic life with a masterful balance of light and composition. Born in Massachusetts, he studied in Paris at the Académie Julian, absorbing the techniques of the Old Masters while embracing the looser brushwork of the Impressionists. His work often depicted women in sunlit interiors or serene outdoor settings, rendered with a delicate interplay of shadow and color. Unlike the fleeting spontaneity of French Impressionism, his scenes exuded a timeless, almost poetic stillness—a quality that set him apart. Tarbell’s influence extended beyond the canvas as a key member of the Boston School, shaping a generation of artists through his teaching at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. His paintings, like *In the Orchard* or *Mother and Child in a Boat*, reveal a fascination with familial intimacy and the subtleties of natural light. Though sometimes criticized for their genteel subject matter, his works are now celebrated for their technical precision and emotional restraint. Later in life, he turned to portraiture, even painting President Coolidge, but it’s his earlier, luminous interiors that remain his enduring legacy. By blending academic rigor with Impressionist warmth, he bridged two worlds, leaving behind a body of work that feels both refined and remarkably alive.
Artwork Story
Edmund Charles Tarbell’s *Marjorie and Little Edmund* captures an intimate moment between a woman and a child, likely the artist’s own family members, rendered with soft brushstrokes and a warm, luminous palette. The figures are bathed in natural light, their expressions tender yet unposed, as if caught in a fleeting, private exchange. Tarbell’s mastery of light and texture breathes life into the scene—the delicate folds of Marjorie’s dress, the child’s tousled hair, the play of shadows across their faces—all suggesting a quiet, domestic harmony. There’s a timeless quality to the painting, as though the artist sought to preserve not just their likenesses but the very essence of familial love.
The composition feels spontaneous yet deliberate, with Marjorie’s gentle gaze anchoring the viewer’s attention while Little Edmund’s slight fidgeting adds a touch of youthful energy. Tarbell, a prominent American Impressionist, infuses the work with a sense of immediacy, as if the scene unfolded naturally before him. The background dissolves into loose, atmospheric strokes, keeping the focus on the emotional connection between the two figures. It’s a painting that invites contemplation, offering glimpses into both the artist’s personal world and the broader human experience of kinship and quiet joy.
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