William McGregor Paxton

Paxton used a technique where one area in a compositions is in focus, while the rest is a bit blurred, which he called  "binocular vision" credited to Vermeer. In  The New Necklace, only the gold beads are sharply defined while the other objects in the composition have softer edges.

The New Necklace, 1910, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

His models were often depicted as refined, cultured women of leisure, and equated with the expensive aesthetic objects around them. A far cry from today's career women.

Tea Leaves, oil on canvas, 1909, Metropolitan Museum of Art

This nude is a excellent example of his binocular technique.

Nude, 1915, Boston  M.F.A.

                                                                                          For more paintings by Paxton go to The Athenaeum.

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