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5 Things You Need to Know About James Tissot | Artist Spotlight

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Shoshone

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Just before painting Holyday, Tissot fell in love with Kathleen Newton, born Kathleen Irene Kelly, a divorced woman with children.

This was his only experience of family life since childhood. One of many ways that men routinely abuse ourselves is by accusing each other of "getting soft" when a friend of ours is in a harmonious relationship with a woman. As Shabsi Zissel, AKA Bob Dylan, sings, "either I'm too sensitive, or else I'm gettin' soft." Of course, being "soft" is a lot better than being a jerk all the time, so the accusation is hiding an undercurrent of jealousy for our fellow man who is letting his guard down in the presence of the sweetness of love. In the case of Tissot, his paintings from the period of Holyday are soft, airy, lighthearted, and full of flirtation and implications of sensual attachment between men and women.

The critics were relentless: although he was a friend of Newton and Tissot, Oscar Wilde attacked Holyday for its depiction of "overdressed, common-looking people" and, of all things, Tissot's "ugly, painfully accurate representation of modern soda-water bottles!" The accuracy of the bottles was, for Wilde, a sign that Tissot, anticipating everybody's favorite Lemko churchgoer lil' Andy Warhola, was giving in to the looming threat of consumerism. The ironic remark about the "commonness" of the overdressed people was Wilde's way of championing everyday people, those who can't afford to be overdressed.

We remember Wilde today, though, because, unlike most other critics, he wasn't a snooty moralist, gauging art for its "fallenness" from some lost ideal. Most of the people who criticized Holyday saw in it the enormous dangers of co-ed free time, the risk that young dandies would gather with women to enjoy each other's company without, 'good heavens!', the holy seal of matrimony. 

To make matters worse, the title, like the content, is a play on the difference between the original meaning of the word "holiday," a holy day of ceremonial worship, and the everyday use of the term, as a way of describing leisure time. The word that once meant humbling ourselves before the Almighty now suggests a case of Coronas, swimsuits, designated drivers and Bluetooth speakers. For better and for worse, "modern life" is a lot about the worship of pleasure, sensuality, leisure, and the joys of consumption. 

 

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Here is what Wikipedia says about Holyday (Tissot)

Holyday, later also known as The Picnic, is an oil painting by French painter James Tissot (1836–1902), painted in 1876. The composition is set in the artist’s garden in the wealthy north London suburb of St John’s Wood. Tissot moved to England in the year 1871, when he was thirty five and settled there. Before moving to London, Tissot was a successful painter of Paris society.

The painting shows a group of elegantly dressed men and women during a picnic at the pond in the painter's garden. The painting is characterized by the attention to detail and vivid colours. Holyday is held in London's Tate Gallery.

Check out the full Wikipedia article about Holyday (Tissot)

Comments (2)

Grace
3 years ago

The beauty of this painting doesn't come from bright colors, instead from the opposite, it comes from the neutral tones. Subtle browns and yellows help create a gorgeous masterpiece one that draws in the audience making it feel like you're at the picnic with them. Your eyes are drawn to the three people in the middle because of how the artist formed the tree around them. They are the only people without the tree blocking them or a detailed background that takes away from their faces or colors. When we look at those three in from you can see the texture of the clothes, I can imagine how the shawl on the woman to the far right would feel. Light and airy off the shoulder so that you wont get too hot in the sun, but it's just the right weight that you won't get too cold when the breeze hits you. You cant see what the woman is looking at, but it has her whole attention. Everyone else in the picture is focusing on someone else, however she seems to be focusing on something distant that's out of the picture. Maybe a bird or the breeze in the over hanging tree, however her fixed gaze draws us in as we want t o know more about what she's looking at.

poart33
4 years ago

I love the complex detail that is present in this painting. The leaves have a beautiful green and yellow color, seemingly like the seasons might be changing and entering into fall. You can see the blankets that people are wrapped in, which also could be an indication of it being a bit chilly outside as they share their tea. There is a theory in this painting that the woman looking off to the distance is Kathleen Newton, a woman that artist Tissot was interested in. She looks to be thinking to herself and smiling as she gazes into the garden. Composition is very clear in this painting. The painting is clearly divided into thirds, with the picnic up close, the woman leaning against the tree, and the couple standing on the edge of the pond toward the back of the painting. I think this particular element brings value because it shows the different interactions among people as they share tea and food. Texture and color are very prevalent as well in this painting. If you look at the blankets, you can almost see/feel what type of texture they are. Likewise, we can see the clothes wrapped tightly around the people and we can imagine how that feels-to wear many layers. Color is what pulls the eyes to different parts of this painting. We notice the people in the back because there is a bright white dress. The red tray draws our eyes to the table, the reflection is shown in the water. Color brings a fun atmosphere into this painting.