By Museo Histórico Sarmiento
Eugenia Belin Sarmiento
Among the female painters of the 19th century, the portrait stood out as a primordial genre. Possible to be carried out in the domestic environment and in proximity to the protagonists of the works, it was a terrain in which the creators found their main pictorial subjects, as well as a source of livelihood. In the case of Eugenia, granddaughter of one of the great men of modern Argentina, the lineage of relatives that populate her portraits becomes a patriotic genealogy.
His grandfather, Domingo Faustino, in the different facets of his political career, the son of this Dominguito, martyr of the War of the Triple Alliance and his humble great-grandmother as the hero's alma mater are linked with key faces of the generation of 37 such as Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield.
With a language that combines the stain and the loose brushstroke of impressionism with the physio gnomic search for faces, in most of the works the tension is concentrated in the protagonists; their silhouettes stand out and even float on neutral backgrounds resolved synthetically. Texts by Marisa BALDASARRE.
Adelaida Mandar de Belin by Eugenia BelinMuseo Histórico Sarmiento
Adelaida Mandar de Belin
Apparently taken from a miniature, this image of Eugenia's paternal grandmother captures the look of a romantic lady of the 1830s. Wearing a tulle ruff and wide, puffed sleeves, Adelaide is the silhouette of the moment.
Flora en el parque (1917/1917) by Eugenia BelinMuseo Histórico Sarmiento
Flora in the park
With a flowing neckline, a black choker and an exuberant bouquet of roses, this modern young woman walks through a park in which a reflecting lagoon and a church tower can be glimpsed. It is a particular pastel portrait within Eugenia's production.
Niñita serrana de Córdoba by Eugenia BelinMuseo Histórico Sarmiento
Niñita serrana de Córdoba
Calm and melancholic, the girl in this portrait directs her watery eyes at the viewer. Located in a generic mountain landscape, which according to the title would be located in the province of Córdoba, the painting was exhibited and awarded at the Ateneo.
Emilia Belin Sarmiento de Gómez
Within the set of portraits of the MHS, Lectora (inv. 1052) and Emilia Belin Sarmiento (inv. 1038) differ from the rest. From the deployment of extreme close-ups, in profile in one case and from behind in the other
The intention here is not to capture in a truthful way the features of the portrayed, but the evocation of visual and tactile sensations thanks to the free play with matter and the extreme intimacy with the portrayed. In her concentration and proximity, the reading girl recalls the solutions of the realist tradition, such as certain female portraits by Gustave Courbet.
Within the group of portraits of the MHS, Emilia Belin Sarmiento and Lectora differ to the rest. Based on the display of very close-ups, in profile in one case and from behind in the other, the intention here is not to capture the features of the portrayed women in a truthful way, but to evoke visual and tactile sensations thanks to the free play with the material and the extreme intimacy with the portrayed.
In her concentration and proximity, the reading girl recalls the solutions of the realist tradition, such as certain female portraits by Gustave Courbet.
Captain Domingo Fidel Sarmiento
Adoptive son of Sarmiento, Dominguito died at the age of twenty-one in the battle of Curupaytí. Eugenia captures in this portrait a semblance of the young man with outfits that evoke a military uniform.
Front portrait, hair, mustache and whole gray sideburns. He wears a black jacket and bow tie, a white shirt. Dark red background. Signature in red EUGENIA BELIN SARMIENTO / 1889 on the left shoulder. (1889/1889) by Eugenia BelinMuseo Histórico Sarmiento
Francisco Sarmiento
Organization of contents: Soledad Durando (Press and Communication) Images: Constanza Ludueña (Collections Management)
Editing History: Virginia F. González (director)
Texts: María Isabel Baldasarre (National Director of Museums, Secretariat of Heritage, Ministry of Culture of the Nation)