Daughters Of Edward Darley Boit Analysis

While visiting family in Boston for the weekend, I returned to the Museum of Fine Arts. I came upon another of John Singer Sargent's works, Daughters of Edward Darley Boit. The composition of the painting intrigued me; and so I have chosen to write about the piece. This painting of four girls in an elegant room and doorway of what I presume to be their home, is a very posed, stagnant depiction. Three of the girls appear to be staring blankly at the painter, while one stands facing to the side, staring forward, away from the painter. None of the girls is engaged in the scene. It does not appear, however to be frozen in time, as no girl is actively acknowledging another, nor actively playing with their toys and dolls, as in the case of the girl sitting on the rug. Two of the girls stands in the darkened doorway, similarly dressed, with one a bit more stiffly posed than the other. In the front, a girl stands at attention behind and to the side of the child sitting on the floor. The curiosity I found with this painting is that for the most part they do not appear comfortable in their surroundings. The one noticeable dissent to that is that
Having seen the work in books and art magazines, I thought of it as a cute piece that might be nice to hang in a small, dark hallway, maybe with dark mustard colored walls where the painting hangs. When I saw the piece in person, I realized just how big it is. At about 7' x 7', it is definitely not something to try to fit in a small space. I found it strange to see a portrait piece done in a perfect square canvas. I have been accustomed to seeing painting generally somewhat greater in width or height, but not often perfectly square. This made my opinion of it being a melancholic piece even stronger. Perhaps it was not supposed to be a sad or curious depiction, but I see it as being clouded by shadow and