The portrait of Eugenia Belin Sarmiento

This work made in 1884 constitutes the most important portrait of Sarmiento executed by Eugenia and the last of the statesman made in life.

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.

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Eugenia Belin, From the collection of: Museo Histórico Sarmiento
,
Paula Albarracín de Sarmiento, Eugenia Belin, 1900/1900, From the collection of: Museo Histórico Sarmiento
,
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Eugenia Belin, From the collection of: Museo Histórico Sarmiento
,
Julio Belin, Eugenia Belin, 1916/1916, From the collection of: Museo Histórico Sarmiento
,
Faustina Sarmiento, Eugenia Belin, From the collection of: Museo Histórico Sarmiento
,
Dalmacio Vélez Sarsfield, Eugenia Belin, From the collection of: Museo Histórico Sarmiento
Show lessRead more

Emilia Belin Sarmiento de Gómez by Eugenia BelinMuseo Histórico Sarmiento

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.

Caperucita Roja, Eugenia Belin, From the collection of: Museo Histórico Sarmiento
,
Negrita, Eugenia Belin, From the collection of: Museo Histórico Sarmiento
,
Lectora de perfil, Eugenia Belin, From the collection of: Museo Histórico Sarmiento
Show lessRead more

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.

Capitan Domingo Fidel Sarmiento (1885/1885) by Eugenia BelinMuseo Histórico Sarmiento

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

Credits: Story

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)

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

Interested in Visual arts?

Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly

You are all set!

Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites