Belgian Art Analysis: The Three Sisters By Leon Frederic

The Three Sisters, painted by the Belgian artist Leon Frederic in 1896, depicts three sisters all wearing red, peeling potatoes. At first glance, the painting seems to be nothing more than three girls just sharing a household chore, but Frederic’s choices of detail reveal themes of responsibility and guidance in a sibling relationship. One detail that demonstrates the theme of responsibility is the way in which the potato peels are arranged on each of the girls’ laps. The sister on the left has the peels in a neat pile, the sister on the right has the peels on the rim of the bowl and at her feet, and then the youngest sister sitting on the floor has potato peels falling off her lap onto the floor. While the two older sisters are clearly
thinking about where or how they should put the peels of the potatoes, their younger sister is not. Instead, she seems more focused on actually getting the potato peeled and not where its peels end up. She is concentrating on one task at a time and is not thinking ahead to what she will do with the potato peels as she is peeling it. Meanwhile, her two older sisters are older and more responsible which makes them used to thinking ahead, which explains why the peels from the potatoes they peeled are not sprawled out all across their laps. In a broader context, the younger sister is enjoying the carelessness of being young while it lasts by not planning ahead or not having to yet, while the older sisters are starting to think more about the future; they are not “living in the moment” anymore as their lives become more complex and they have more responsibilities to take on. The positioning and placement of the three sisters exemplifies the theme of guidance within the girls’ relationship. The sisters who appear to be older are both sitting in chairs, sort of facing each other, while the younger sister sits below them on the floor. This emphasizes the fact that the girls sitting on chairs are older, thus having more authority over their little sister. It also indicates that because they are older, they should act as a role model or guide for her. Since the two older sisters are sitting in chairs and the smallest one is not, it further proves that the older girls are not only physically higher than their little sister, but higher in their intelligence, experience, and responsibility. These components make the two older sisters the ideal source of guidance for their little sister to learn from. The themes of guidance and responsibility within siblings is demonstrated in Leon Frederic’s painting, The Three Sisters. Frederic is interested in exploring the bond and relationship that siblings have which can be identified in even small, seemingly insignificant everyday tasks.