This image of the painter and his model by Alfred Stevens (1823-106) is well painted, but it is a problem. The model seems to be looking somewhere to the left of the canvas of the painter.
Why does it look that way, and what could be done to fix it?
to move a figure squarely in front of the easel, Mr. Stevens should have the feet of the model on the floor directly to the left of the red "x" which is midway between the wheels of the bridge. But his feet are in fact well beyond the square in front of far wheel. Since we see in profile, his view seems to be directed to the left of the image.
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The painting is in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
