The de Regny Children and Their Nanny

The sweet intimacy of this family portrait--a friend's children and their nanny--is uncommon in Jean-Gabriel Eynard's work. He used careful planning to achieve the apparent informality suggested by the children's casual dress and slightly mischievous expressions. Judging from their leftward gaze, Eynard used something or someone out of camera range to attract their steady attention. With both children at the left, he artfully arranged the sober nanny's pose and skirt to fill the right side of the picture, balancing the three to form a sculptural group against the dark background.