| This was one of Tissot’s
earliest (1871) London pictures. A young couple
are parting, we know not why. The painting is highly finished, the
detail amazing, the facial expressions of the unhappy couple are
captured with skill. The picture has an assurance, and certainty of
touch that English painters of the day were quite unable to match. No
wonder Tissot was so successful. This success will continue for as long
as people look at pictures, despite what the critics said during his
lifetime, and despite what they say today. His skill as a painter, his
shrewd observation of Victorian society, and the romance, sadness, loss,
and his undying love for Kathleen Newton will all see to this.
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