Artwork
Between two lights
Between two lights is an unspecified painting by Eduardo Sívori. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts, Argentina.
About this work
Overview
Created in the mid‑nineteenth century by Eduardo Sívori, *Between Two Lights* is an oil portrait that now hangs in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires. The work exemplifies the early realist turn in Argentine painting, when artists began to depict everyday subjects with direct observation rather than idealized conventions.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas presents a solitary woman seated before a muted backdrop. She wears a hat, a dark coat and a blue dress edged with a white collar; her left hand rests on the arm of a chair while the right clutches a dark object. Her face is rendered softly out of focus, giving her a neutral, contemplative expression that invites quiet reflection.
Technique & Style
Sívori employs chiaroscuro, contrasting illuminated areas with deep shadows to model the figure’s volume and to suggest space beyond the picture plane. The warm brown background recedes, while the subtle gradations of light on the fabrics create a tactile sense of texture. The overall palette is restrained, reinforcing the painting’s somber tone.
History & Provenance
Born in 1847, Sívori is regarded as Argentina’s first realist painter. He produced *Between Two Lights* around 1850, during a formative period for the nation’s visual arts. The painting entered the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, where it remains part of the institution’s permanent holdings.
Context
The work belongs to a broader movement in Argentine art that shifted from academic historicism toward the observation of contemporary life. Sívori’s focus on an ordinary, unnamed sitter reflects this new interest in portraying the everyday experiences of the emerging middle class, marking a departure from earlier, more heroic subjects.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Eduardo Sívori (October 13, 1847 – June 5, 1918) was an Argentine artist widely regarded as his country's first realist painter.
Museum
National Museum of Fine Arts, Argentina
Continue through works from the same source collection.
Stéphanie in White
Portrait of a Woman
Joyful Baśka
Portrait of Helena Piltz née Rymowicz
Portrait study of a young girl
Saimin kihlajaismuotokuva
Portrait of Irena Zbigniewicz née Serda
Portrait of a young woman, study
Maud Murray Dale (Mrs. Chester Dale)
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of Helene Roederstein
Ida Ilsted, later the Artist's Wife