The Blue Veil

Edmund Charles Tarbell

American

Edmund Tarbell was one of the most acclaimed artists in Boston at the turn of the century. Raised in West Groton, Massachusetts, his artistic talent was recognized when he enrolled as an art student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, where he was made the head of painting at just 27 years old. Tarbell adopted an impressionist style after completing his studies in Boston and Paris. By the 1890s, he became a founding member of the Ten, a group at the forefront of American Impressionism.

Born
1862
Died
1938
The Blue Veil by Edmund Charles Tarbell

What is the subject of this painting?

As the title makes clear, Tarbell’s painting is not about his sitter. Rather, it is a painting of her sheer veil, which has been caught by a breeze and flows around her face and shoulders in folds and waves. Throughout his life and career, Tarbell was both praised and criticized for his single-minded commitment to beauty. In response to his critics, he said, “Art should render the beauty of the thing seen.”
Medium
Oil on canvas
Credit

Gift of Henry K.S. Williams

Item ID
1942.26
Dimensions
29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 61 cm)
Date
1898
Country
Artist name
Edmund Charles Tarbell
Artwork location