Sargent 9781780423173, 1780423179

Table of contents :
Content: Foreword
Biography
Introduction
List of Illustrations.

Citation preview

Sargent

Text: Donald Wigal Page 4: Self-Portrait, 1907. Oil on canvas, 76.2 x 63.5 cm. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

Layout: Baseline Co Ltd 127-129A Nguyen Hue Fiditourist 3rd Floor District 1, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

© Sirrocco, London, UK © Confidential Concepts, Worldwide, USA

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the permission of the copyright holder, throughout the world. Unless otherwise specified, copyright on the works reproduced lies with the respective photographers. Despite intensive research, it has not always been possible to establish copyright ownership. Where this is the case, we would appreciate notification.

ISBN: 978-1-78042-317-3

2

Foreword "There is no greater work of art than a great portrait - a truth to be constantly taken to heart by a painter holding in his hands the weapon that Mr. Sargent wields." — Henri James

3

4

Biography 1854:

Sargent’s family takes up residence in Europe.

1856:

John Sargent is born on 12 January in Florence.

1857:

The Sargents have a daughter, Emily.

1865:

Studies drawing and watercolour while travelling throughout Europe with his parents.

1870:

Begins drawing classes at the Academia delle Belle Arti, Florence. The Sargents have a second daughter, Violet.

1874:

Moves with the family to Paris. Sargent begins painting classes, first at the studio of Emile Carolus-Duran, then with Adolphe Yvon at the Ecole des beaux-arts.

1876:

Visits the United States with his mother and sister Emily. He confirms his U.S. citizenship. He returns to Paris and continues to study.

1878-9:

Travels to Spain and Morocco. He sees works by Velázquez and Goya.

1880-1:

Begins a six-month stay in Venice. Joins mother and sisters in Nice.

1882-4:

Paints The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit. He exhibits his portrait of Madame Pierre Gautreau, Madame X. He meets author Henry James. 5

6

1885-6:

Moves to London and there paints his first portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson.

1890:

He accepts a commission to create mural decorations in Boston.

1894:

Is elected as an associate of the Royal Academy. He exhibits the first completed part of the Boston mural.

1903:

Goes to Boston for the installation of the first panel of the Boston Library mural. He paints a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt.

1907:

He announces that he wants to stop painting commissioned portraits.

1913:

Paints a portrait of Henry James.

1916:

Completes the installation of his murals in Boston. Takes on a commission to decorate a ceiling of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

1917:

Paints a portrait of Woodrow Wilson.

1918:

Returns to Europe and visits battlefields in France.

1921-2:

Returns to Boston for the unveiling of mural decorations in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Installs a commissioned mural for a library at Harvard University.

1924:

Attends a retrospective of his work in Manhattan. Returns to London.

1925:

Dies on 4 April. Memorial service is held at Westminster Abbey and later at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. 7

Introduction

I

n 1854, Americans Dr. Fitz William Sargent and his wife Mary planned a short

visit to Europe. He was a surgeon from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was an amateur painter who loved travelling and experiencing different cultures. They had lost a child shortly before arriving in Europe. A vacation abroad would be a way for the couple to cope somewhat with their grief. However, instead of a brief stay, they gradually took up residence in Europe and returned to America only for short visits.

Man Wearing Laurels 1874-1880 Oil on canvas, 44.4 x 33.4 cm Mary D. Keeler Bequest Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles

8

9

Two years after arriving in Europe, their son John was born on 12 January, 1856, in Florence. The following year John’s sister, Emily, was born. When she was four, an accident damaged her spine. Early in life she came to rely on John, who lovingly cared for her thereafter. Another sister, Violet, was born in 1870, also in Florence. Throughout his life, Sargent would rarely travel without his mother or sisters. He and Emily would never marry. He did not have a mistress,

Portrait of Frances Sherborne Ridley Watts (Portrait of Mile W.) 1877 Oil on canvas, 105.9 x 81.3 cm Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wharton Sinkler Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia 10

although many men of his time with the means did so. Moreover, Sargent apparently never had a serious love affair with a woman, even though he became a cult figure in social circles, and there were many women among his admirers. Those fans, as well as models, would visit him often at his studio. He did, however, have special friends, including Violet Paget, whom he met in Nice. She was a writer who used the pen name Vernon Lee.

Fishing for Oysters at Cancale 1878 Oil on canvas, 41 x 61 cm Gift of Miss Mary Appleton (1935) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

12

13

Her letters, which include memories of Sargent, were privately printed in 1937. Sargent would also later become a friend of Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, the beautiful model who posed for the famous Madame X portrait. Sargent showed musical talent early in life and played the piano, but drawing was more obviously his passion. Starting when only nine years old, Sargent continually sketched and used watercolours while the family travelled throughout Europe,

Oyster Gatherers of Cancale 1878 Oil on canvas, 96.8 x 123.2 cm Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

14

15

visiting the major art centres of London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Nice, as well as holiday locations, including Pau in the French Pyrenees. When his father was in America on business, his mother would take the children to Lake Como, the Tyrol, Switzerland, Salzburg, Milan, Catalonia and Andalusia. It is not surprising that Sargent’s art would reflect his wide experience and exposure to many cultures. After he settled in Dresden,

Head of Ana, Capri Girl 1878 Oil on canvas, 22.9 x 25.4 cm Private collection

16

17

Sargent continued his formal classical education there and then later in Florence. In 1870 he began drawing classes at the Academia delle Belle Arti, while working at the

studio

of

the

German-American

landscape painter, Carol Welsch, who gave Sargent his first formal painting lessons. However, his first portraiture lessons were from the Scottish painter Joseph Farquharson (1846-1935), who was in turn influenced by Peter Graham (1836-1921).

Carmela Bertagna c. 1879 Oil on canvas, 59.7 x 49.5 cm Bequest of Frederick W. Schumacher Colombus Museum of Fine Art, Colombus

18

In 1874, John’s parents sought even more intense training for their talented son. They decided that taking him to Paris would be the next step. The best teaching studio there at the time was that of the master Carolus-Duran. It was

there

that

Sargent

learned

the

portraiture style of the master, as the two men became not only teacher and student, but also colleagues and friends. Sargent met the social circle of Carolus-Duran,

Among the Olive Trees, Capri 1879 Oil on canvas, 76.8 x 63.2 cm Private collection

20

which included R.A.M. Stevenson, cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson, of whom John would later paint portraits. During that time, he also studied with Adolphe Yvon, at the Ecole des beaux-arts. The following year he shared a studio with fellow

American

student

James

Carroll Beckwith. The two would be asked by their teacher Carolus-Duran to help him create a commissioned mural-style covering for the Palais du Luxembourg.

Neapolitan Children Bathing 1879 Oil on canvas, 267 x 413 cm Sterling and Francine Clark Institute, Williamstown

22

23

They used each other as models during the work. One of the Sargent works inspired by this locale is Luxembourg Gardens at Twilight. In 2006, a critic commented that it is “a picture in which elegance has a heightened, almost religious aura.” When Beckwith returned to the United States, the studio became Sargent’s first independent studio. Only an occasional glimpse of Sargent’s private life is seen in

Luxembourg Gardens at Twilight 1879 Oil on canvas, 73.6 x 92.7 cm Gift of Mrs. C. C. Bovey and Mrs. C. D. Velie The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis

24

25

his letters and several memoirs as observed by those who felt they knew him. One such source is the autobiography of the artist’s friend W. Graham Robertson. In 1884, Sargent did a portrait of Robertson as a young man. The Sargent biographer Swinglehurst

described

Robertson

as

personifying “the eternal undergraduate,” surely an appealing description for Sargent, who enjoyed the company of attractive young men, as well as women.

Madame Edouard Pailleron 1879 Oil on canvas, 208.3 x 99.6 cm Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

26

27

Robertson mentioned that Sargent would at times stammer when under stress or when “emotionally confused.” Otherwise the artist appeared to his public as under control, refined and proper, as when working or even playing on the beach, in the woods, or on his floating studio on the River Thames that he built, which was reminiscent of the one Monet had built for himself.

Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d’Hiver c. 1879-1880 Oil on canvas, 57.1 x 46 cm The Hayden Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

28

Even when painting outdoors, the Sargents were always appropriately dressed. Learning to be comfortable with a variety of formal styles since childhood had prepared the artist for the many encounters with the elegant costumes and environment of the famous and wealthy people he would meet and capture on canvas over the decades. Unlike many of his colleagues, he never took on the appearance or lifestyle of the bohemian.

Portrait of Carolus-Duran 1879 Oil on canvas, 116.8 x 96 cm Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

30

In 1876, appropriately the first centenary of America’s Declaration of Independence, Sargent returned to the United States in order to legally confirm his American citizenship before his twenty-first birthday. That same year he returned to Paris and continued his studies. During that year he produced at least six works, including Gitana. His art would clearly show his appreciation of feminine as well as masculine beauty.

Fumée d’ambre gris (Smoke of Ambergris) 1880 Oil on canvas, 139.1 x 90.6 cm Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

32

33

However, even in Sargent’s earliest works, such as the five done in 1875, there are subtle signs that he was developing his famous “swagger” style of portraits, at least with his male sitters, probably reaching their haughty peak with works such as the portrait George Nathaniel, Marquis Curzon of Kedleston (1914). An insolent pose, albeit often softened, was even sometimes captured or given to women, such as in Marchioness Curzon of Cholmondeley (1922).

Venetian Women in the Palazzo Rezzonico c. 1880 Oil on canvas, 45 x 63.5 cm Private collection

34

35

At the end of the century both the beauty and the decadence of Belle Epoque Paris was spectacular. A critic observed: “In the hands of a John Singer Sargent the elegance of Paris becomes intoxicating. However, Sargent spent most of his life in England, but his gorgeous froth – his brush is as fluent, and sometimes as superficial, as a bon mot – seems more French than English, let alone American. Sargent doesn’t just illustrate the stylish; he is stylishness itself.”

Venetian Bead Stringers c. 1880-1882 Oil on canvas, 66.9 x 78.1 cm Friends of the Albright Art Gallery Fund (1916) Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo

36

37

During the same time, in England, brilliant but outrageous public figures, including the flamboyant Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) and his young male entourage shocked the Victorian public. Private lives were often made to be public theatre. While most American artists visiting France, even those who intended to live the expatriate life, could not speak French, Sargent was fluent, as were James McNeill Whistler

and

Mary

Cassatt.

Venetian Glass Workers c. 1880-1882 Oil on canvas, 56.5 x 84.5 cm Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago

38

39

These American artists, as well as Charles Sprague Pearce and others, made Europe their home. However, most of the Paristrained artists returned to America and, as New York City critic James Gardner expressed it: “Modernism began hesitantly to take root on our shores.” He added: “It would be some decades before our art came into its own during the post-war years, but the seeds of that miraculous flowering were planted in Paris more than half a century before.”

Portraits of Edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron 1881 Oil on canvas, 152.4 x 175.3 cm Edith M. Usry Bequest Fund, in memory of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Franklin Usry Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines

40

41

In 1877, while visiting the Brittany Coast near Saint-Malo, Sargent painted two works with the title Oyster Gatherers of Cancale. One of these was the first of Sargent’s to be accepted by the Paris Salon, while the second was accepted by the Association of American Artists. That same year, Sargent showed a portrait of his friend Frances Watts, titled Portrait de Mile W. It was well received, except for some criticism of how the artist treated the hands of the subject.

Doctor Samuel Jean Pozzi at Home 1881 Oil on canvas, 204.5 x 111.4 cm Armand Hammer Collection UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles

42

43

It is usually noted that Sargent considered that a minor criticism. However, it is interesting to see what meticulous care is given to hands in such subsequent works as Madame Edouard Pailleron (1879) and Doctor Samuel Jean Pozzi at Home (1881). Furthermore, in El Jaleo (1882) at least a dozen hands are shown, each caught during a very expressive gesture. Being a perfectionist, Sargent made several studies of details that were especially challenging, such as hands.

Vernon Lee 1881 Oil on canvas, 53.7 x 43.2 cm Miss Vernon Lee Bequest through Miss Cooper Willis (1935) Tate Gallery, London

44

Back in Paris in 1878, Carolus-Duran saw how accomplished his prize student Sargent had become. The master then asked his student to do a portrait of him. This portrait demonstrated Sargent’s ability to identify the “role-playing side” of the subjects who posed for him, a talent which, opined biographer Swinglehurst, “perhaps arose from his own nature and his way of coping with the world”.

A Street in Venice c. 1880-1882 Oil on canvas, 75.1 x 52.4 cm Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

46

47

Throughout his life the artist displayed his talent for acting as if he actually was whatever was needed at the time. He somehow captured this quality also in his sitters. With the Carolus-Duran portrait, exhibited in the 1879 Salon, the public acknowledged that as a portraitist, Sargent had ironically surpassed the talent of even his famous teacher. It began a new chapter in the artist’s remarkable life of achievement.

Street in Venice 1882 Oil on wood, 45.1 x 53.9 cm Gift of the Avalon Foundation National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

48

49

Sargent travelled yet again during 1878 and

1879

to

Spain

and

Morocco.

He produced several works reflecting his love of the local colour, including Moorish Buildings in Sunlight and Luxembourg Gardens at Twilight, both in 1879. On his way to Andalusia, he detoured to Madrid to see the works of his hero Velázquez, which were in the Prado. There, Sargent undoubtedly saw the master’s Las Meninas (The Family of Philip IV or The Maids of Honour) (1656).

A Venetian Interior c. 1882 Oil on canvas, 48.4 x 60.8 cm Sterling and Francine Clark Institute, Williamstown

50

51

The influence of that work undoubtedly influenced Sargent’s portrait of The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, which was by far the most important work, produced in 1882. In it is seen the influence of Velázquez, specifically his Las Meninas. Both are portraits of a family in its own environment, caught in an unguarded moment. A distinctive feature of the Sargent masterpiece is the contrast between the large size of the room and two large Japanese vases and rug,

Sortie de l’église (After Church) Campo San Canciano, Venice 1882 Oil on canvas, 59.9 x 85.1 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

52

53

compared to the small girls, each of whom displays a unique personality. “Relaxed and trustful, the children give Sargent an opportunity to record sensitively a gradation of young innocence – from the naïve, wondering openness of the little girl in the foreground, to the grave artlessness of the ten-year-old, to the slightly self-conscious poise of the adolescents.”

A

review

of

the

2006

Metropolitan Museum exhibit “American in Paris”, called that Sargent painting

El Jaleo 1882 Oil on canvas, 232 x 348 cm Gift of T. Jefferson Coolidge (1914) Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

54

55

“one of the greatest paintings of children in the history of art”. More obvious, Velázquez’s fascination with servants, entertainers, and dwarfs, as in A Dwarf Sitting on the Floor (Don Sebastián de Morra?) (c.1645), was caught by Sargent in his work A Dwarf at the Spanish Court (After Velázquez) (1879). Major works of this 1879 period include Among the Olive Trees, Capri, Neapolitan Children Bathing, and the portraits Madame Edouard Pailleron, and Carolus-Duran.

The Sulphur Match 1882 Oil on canvas, 58.4 x 40.6 cm Jo Ann and Julian Ganz, Jr. Collection

56

57

In 1880, Sargent began a six-month stay in Venice. In that year he painted at least

twenty-one

portraits,

including

Carmela Bertagna and Portrait of Ralph Curtis on the Beach at Scheveingen. One of at least forty-six non-portraits produced that year was Venetian Bead Stringers. There were also Venetian Street, A Venetian Interior and The Sulphur Match. Several of the artist’s works in the 1880s show Venetian scenes: glass workers,

Lady with the Rose (Charlotte Louise Burckhardt) 1882 Oil on canvas, 213.4 x 113.7 cm Bequest of Valerie B. Hadden The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

58

59

women in the Palazzo Rezzonico, and bead stringers. Also that year he produced Carmela Bertagna and the very memorable Fumée d’ambre gris (Smoke of Ambergris). The paintings somewhat reflect that he was there during a gloomy winter, in contrast to the more colourful watercolours he used after his next visit. Or, maybe Sargent had simply been in an exceptionally melancholic mood. Another work from that trip to Venice was one of his first of many male nudes,

Pressing the Grapes: Florentine Wine Cellar 1882 Oil on canvas, 83.5 x 49.8 cm The Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick

60

Two Nude Bathers Standing on a Wharf. His many subsequent drawings, watercolours and paintings of male nudes were generally hidden from the public eye before the 1899 retrospective that travelled from the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Published in association with that exhibit was John Esten’s book, exclusively devoted to Sargent’s then little-known drawings of male nudes.

The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit 1882 Oil on canvas, 221.9 x 221.6 cm Gift of Mary Louisa Boit, Julia Overing Boit, Jane Hubbard Boit, and Florence D. Boit in memory of their father, Edward Darley Boit, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 62

However, two decades earlier in a magazine article, Trevor J. Fairbrother did address A Private Album: John Singer Sargent’s Drawings of Nude Male Models. After his winter stay in Venice, Sargent was happy to join his mother and sisters in Nice in 1881. Around then Sargent painted the portraits of Edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron and Vernon Lee. He also painted the frequently reproduced Doctor Samuel Jean Pozzi at Home, the portrait of the famous self-promoting gynaecologist.

Mr. and Mrs. John White Field 1882 Oil on canvas, 114 x 81.3 cm Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John White Field The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia

64

65

After about three years, Sargent moved to a new studio in Paris, where he lived and worked through 1884. It was the year he met the popular writer Henry James. Commentators

would

later

note

that

Sargent “could have been a character in a novel by James”. During the amazingly productive

year

of

1882,

Sargent

produced, or at least began, several of his most important non-portrait works: Sortie de l’église, Campo San Canciano, Venice,

Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast c. 1882-1883 Oil on wood panel, 32 x 41 cm Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

66

67

A Street In Venice, The Sulphur Match, El Jaleo and Pressing the Grapes: Florentine Wine Cellar. Portraits that year included one of Charlotte Louise Burckhardt entitled Lady with the Rose and Mr. & Mrs. John White Field. Probably the most important work of the year was a group portrait, the monumental The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit. 1884 was also the year the artist finally finished, exhibited, and then revised what would probably become his most famous painting,

Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) 1883-1884 Oil on canvas, 208.6 x 109.9 cm The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

68

69

his portrait of his special friend, Madame Pierre Gautreau, to be known as Madame X, a name that became the accepted name of the amazingly popular painting. The “shocking” portrait seems to have been anticipated with two works produced shortly before: Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast (1882-1883) and A Dinner Table at Night (sometimes titled The Glass of Claret). The work was finished during his stay in 1883 at her house in Paramé.

Edith, Lady Playfair (Edith Russell) 1884 Oil on canvas, 152 x 98.4 cm Bequest of Edith, Lady Playfair (1933) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

70

71

As in the much more famous work later, the viewer sees the model’s famous profile as she pauses in a relaxed and graceful posture. Just as some critics presumed to know the object of Sargent’s affections, some of them also presume that the unseen person Madame Gautreau is toasting is the artist, who is somehow also off to the side of the scene. Madame Pierre Gautreau, born Virginie Avegno, was born in Louisiana.

Auguste Rodin 1884 Oil on canvas, 73 x 51.3 cm Musée Rodin, Paris

72

73

She called herself Amélie, her middle name. Sargent’s portraits of her, and especially his sketches, demonstrate how easy it is to believe she was a well-known seductress. There were also numerous rumours about her. The biographer Davis discovered several details relative to the famous model, such as the fact that she purchased rice powder, known at the time to be used as a cosmetic to create an ivory-looking complexion.

The Misses Vickers 1884 Oil on canvas, 137.8 x 182.9 cm Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust, Sheffield

74

75

Gautreau, as Davis expressed it, was the Parisian “it girl” of her day. She was reputed to be one of the many lovers of Dr. Pozzi, the womanising physician. Sargent was obsessed with her, at least as his model. Forever a sexually-conflicted bachelor who was enigmatic in his personal life, Sargent was rumoured in the popular press to be romantically connected to the model years before he painted her portrait.

A Dinner Table at Night (The Glass of Claret) 1884 Oil on canvas, 51.4 x 66.7 cm Gift of the Atholl McBean Foundation Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco

76

77

However, even though he was pursued by women (including the model Judith Gautier) he was apparently passionate about women only in his professional life. Yet their beauty is rarely captured with such tenderness as in his non-commissioned portraits. While even investigative biographers have not discovered the details of Sargent’s personal sexual preferences, some indicate that when he was young, the artist Albert de Belleroche might have been the love of Sargent’s life.

Robert Louis Stevenson and His Wife 1885 Oil on canvas, 51.4 x 61.6 cm Mrs. John Hay Whitney Collection

78

79

However, speculators build a case for showing Sargent’s affairs of the heart with Nicola d’Inverno, his valet, studio assistant,

messenger,

and

occasional

model. In an interview given during the year after the painter’s death, Nicola d’Inverno recalled: “I was about nineteen years old in 1892. … I had posed for him (Sargent) for about a year when I became a member of his household. … In order that I might keep (physically) fit,

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose 1885-1886 Oil on canvas, 174 x 153.7 cm Tate Gallery, London

80

he paid for my course at the Gymnasium.” D’Inverno remained employed by Sargent for twenty-six years. He can be identified as the model in several of Sargent’s studies, especially in the album of twenty-nine such male nude drawings. In 1937, Sargent’s sister Violet presented the album to the Fogg Art Museum. In 1881, Sargent expert Trevor Fairbrother opined that Sargent’s drawings of

Mrs. Cecil (Frances Frew) Wade 1886 Oil on canvas, 167.6 x 137.8 cm Gift of the Enid and Crosby Kemper Foundation The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City

82

the male nude embodied “a response to masculine physicality that is homoerotic.” He carried out the theory again over a decade later in his biography of the artist. However, John Eston probably speaks for most scholars when he states that, “like beauty, homoeroticism is in the eye of the beholder.” Apparently there is only one extant photograph of Amélie Gautreau, by Nadar, a leading photographer of celebrities in his day.

Morning Walk 1888 Oil on canvas, 67.3 x 50.2 cm Private collection

84

85

The undated photo features the model’s distinctive profile, without Sargent’s later “cosmetic surgery” on her prominent nose. The possibilities of cosmetic adjustment are also seen in the story of the sitting for the 1900 family portrait of the famous Sitwell family, Sir George Sitwell, Lady Ida Sitwell and Family. It seems the father complained about the artist’s rendering of the oldest child’s slightly crooked nose; it did not sit well with him.

Paul Helleu Sketching His Wife 1889 Oil on canvas, 65.9 x 80.7 cm Brooklyn Museum, New York

86

87

The accommodating artist straightened the offending image, but then in the final work the father’s nose has somehow taken a subtle turn for the worse, profiling as it were something of the artist’s sly humour. Although Sargent seldom made preliminary sketches on his canvas, relying instead on his brush alone to outline on canvas what was needed, he would sketch beforehand off canvas. As in the case of the preliminary sketches of the famous profile of Madame Gautreau,

Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth 1889 Oil on canvas, 221 x 114.3 cm Tate Britain, London

88

89

a nearly identical profile is seen in his sketch of a young man dated the same year, 1883, as the Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast painting. The man’s head is turned at the same angle, both works anticipating the grand painting of the following year. Moreover, preliminary watercolours of Amélie call on the same profile, albeit she is seated in them. The importance of the sketch of that young man is intensified when the man is identified as Albert de Belleroche,

Door of a Mosque c. 1891 Oil on canvas, 61.3 x 80 cm Gift of Mrs. Francis Ormond Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

90

91

Sargent’s close friend of many years. Deborah Davis comments that Sargent was “merging both objects of desire, woman and man, into a single image.” At the initial unveiling of Madame X, the critics and public were less shocked about the deep décolleté, as they were by the provocative position of the right shoulder strap that appeared to have teasingly slipped down just at that moment, and was caught by the admiring artist.

Frieze of the Prophets (Detail of Study for the Boston Public Library) c. 1893 Oil on canvas, 120 x 188.6 cm Gift of Mrs. Francis Ormond, Fogg Art Museum Harvard University Art Museum, Cambridge 92

After outbursts of Victorian indignation, Sargent later repainted the strap, placing it securely atop the lady’s shoulder to a less teasing position. But, the bell that had been rung could not be “unrung”. Virginie’s father apparently said nothing, but her mother was outraged and even threatened Sargent with a duel. It was long assumed that Gautreau herself hated the work, but biographer Davis proves that to be untrue.

Portrait of Asher Wertheimer 1898 Oil on canvas, 147.3 x 97.8 cm Tate Gallery, London

94

95

Moreover, the model acknowledged her portrait

to

contemporary

be

a

critics

masterpiece. found

the

Some work

simply atrocious. The poet Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) was not typical of those. However, she notes in a letter to a friend: “It seemed to me masterly – perfectly original and as full of character and expression as an old portrait. If she is in fact an immodest looking woman – it is not his fault.”

Portrait of Mrs. Asher B. Wertheimer 1898 Oil on canvas, 147.3 x 95.2 cm New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans

96

97

Critic Holland Cotter recently observed that “Gautreau, as an American scene-stealer, was an irritant to Parisian society, and Sargent’s sensationalist portrait brought resentments to a boil. It also put the kibosh on his French career.” The contemporary popular press published numerous caricatures and parodies about the painting. After seeing the original Madame X at the Salon, an irritated and famously critical

An Interior in Venice 1899 Oil on canvas, 63.5 x 78.7 cm Royal Academy of Arts, London

98

99

Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) rhetorically asked Sargent if he had been “anxious to make sales,” implying the sexy treatment of the subject was done merely to draw attention to the painter’s availability for commissions. While the scandal surrounding Sargent’s immortal portrait Madame X dominated art news during the year on two continents, he also painted A Dinner Table at Night, Garden Study of the Vickers Children, and The Breakfast Table.

Sir George Sitwell, Lady Ida Sitwell and Family 1900 Oil on canvas, 67 x 76 cm Private collection

100

101

Concerning

this

moment

in

Sargent’s

professional life, the biographer Swinglehurst with uncharacteristic humour remarked: “Sargent decided that it would be a good moment to pay a visit to London.” The artist moved to London in 1885, where he temporarily rented the artist James Whistler’s former studio. The synchronicity could hardly be more appropriate. Whistler (1834-1903), also an American in London,

The Misses Hunter 1900-1902 Oil on canvas, 229 x 230 cm Gift of Mrs. Charles Hunter through the National Art Collections Fund, Tate Gallery, London

102

was likewise a master of portraits, who preferred to place his subjects in their natural environment. He was also strongly influenced by Velázquez, and turned to more impressionistic work later in his career. He was also, incidentally, comfortable with a French society that at the time was sometimes described as having “hypocrisy masked by pretentious formality”. It was the perfect time and place for ‘swagger’ portraits.

On His Holidays, Norway 1901 Oil on canvas, 137 x 244 cm Board of Trustees of the National Museums and Galleries of Merseyside, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight

104

105

In 1891, the artist Gustave Courtois playfully painted a sort of homage to the controversial Madame X in his own work Madame Gautreau. In it, Amélie is seen in a white gown, in contrast to the original black, with a fallen strap on her left, rather than right shoulder. The work reveals more of the model’s impressive proportions than did Madame X, yet the painting caused little critical notice.

Alfred, Son of Asher Wertheimer 1901 (?) Oil on canvas, 163 x 115 cm Tate Britain, London

106

107

Sargent’s short visits to London prepared the artist to establish his permanent relocation there.

Social

events

helped

him

get

acquainted, such as when he hosted a lunch for the writers Oscar Wilde (1856-1900) and Paul Bourget (1852-1935), who were about to be very successful with their early works: Bourget with Cruelle Enigme (1885) and Wilde with The Happy Prince (1888). It was a period of intense interest in contemporary

Ena and Betty, Daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Asher Wertheimer 1901 Oil on canvas, 185.4 x 130.8 cm Tate Britain, London

108

109

French art and literature by writers including Maurice Barrès, Maupassant, Verlaine and Zola, as well as by artists such as Chagall, Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel’s sky-scraping tower, which was being planned for the upcoming Paris Exhibition, symbolised that an exciting future for French culture was on the horizon. (The first skyscraper had been built in Chicago only four years before.) The Statue of Liberty,

Hyldia, Almina and Conway, Children of Asher Wertheimer 1901 Oil on canvas, 188 x 133.3 cm Tate Gallery, London

110

111

France’s magnificent gift to the United States, was dedicated in 1886. All things pointed to even greater rapport between the United States and France. Eliza Wedgwood would write that Sargent “cared little for English literature”. According to Sargent biographer Olson, his personal library at Tite Street was very large, including sets of the complete works of Balzac, Madame de Sévigné, Diderot, Dumas, Flaubert, Laclos, Molière, Montaigne, Musset,

Lady Meysey-Thompson 1901 Oil on canvas, 160 x 100 cm Private collection

112

113

Prévost,

Saint-Simon,

Stendhal

and

Voltaire, “all well-thumbed”. The link of Sargent to popular contemporary literature was not limited to French authors. He accepted a commission from a wealthy American to paint a portrait of the popular Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson (R.L.S). The writer’s Treasure Island (1883) had appeared only two years earlier, but his even more popular Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde would not appear before 1886,

Essie, Ruby and Ferdinand, Children of Asher Wertheimer 1902 Oil on canvas, 161.3 x 193.7 cm Tate Gallery, London

114

115

a year after the portrait was completed. Sargent did other, but less conventional portraits of R.L.S (often recognised by his initials only), in 1885 and 1887, the two being nearly the same size. His unusual 1885 portrait of R.L.S was considered especially ‘insane’ by Stevenson’s wife, who is seen hiding under a shawl off to the side of the painting. It seems Sargent was anticipating that she would not like the work.

William Merritt Chase 1902 Oil on canvas, 158.8 x 105.1 cm The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

116

117

The

writer

is

shown

walking

as

if

disinterested in the artist’s intrusion. But in the latter work the writer is interested, alone, seated in a wicker chair and smoking a cigarette. The contrast is interesting, as the works envelop the publication date of R.L.S’s horrific novel about the radical changes possible in personal behaviour and the evil of which the common man is capable.

Mrs. Philip Leslie Agnew 1902 Oil on canvas, 90.8 x 74.3 cm Mrs. Philip Leslie Agnew Bequest (1957) Tate Gallery, London

118

Another one of Sargent’s lucrative commissions was completed in 1884. It was The Misses Vickers, showing daughters of Colonel Vickers, an armaments manufacturer who was very proud of his three young daughters. Again the artist shows his mastery of overall composition as well as elegant detail, seen in the hand gestures, each pair expressing a distinct personality. The portrait was a success at the Paris Salon in 1885.

Mrs. Leopold Hirsch 1902 Oil on canvas, 144.8 x 92.7 cm Private collection

120

121

However in a letter to his friend Vernon Lee, the artist confessed that he found the girls themselves to be ugly, revealing again how the disciplined painter could, and for a price would, beautify and even glamorise his subjects. The years in Sargent’s career that began with his settlement in 1887 into a permanent studio on Tite Street in Chelsea have been called his “swagger years,”

The Duchess of Portland 1902 Oil on canvas, 228.6 x 113 cm Private collection

122

123

alluding to the pomposity associated with the poses and trappings of the commissioned portraits produced at the time. It might have been a time during which the American artist was privately making fun of the superior airs of his subjects just as his heroes Velázquez and Goya had done with their portraits of Spanish patrons. An example is the grand portrait

George

Nathaniel,

Marquess

Curzon of Kedleston.

William Marshall Cazalet 1902 Oil on canvas, 254 x 165.1 cm Private collection

124

125

Yet, the artist could also render flattering portraits of his subjects without putting on such airs, as he did with the sensitive and respectfully

intimate

Lady

Agnew

of

Lochnaw, (1892) a successful and delicate sequel to the shocking Madame X. After its showing at the Royal Academy, Sargent was quickly accepted into British society. Its proper yet intimate presence assured patrons that the artist could be trusted to produce discrete yet flattering portraits.

Lord Ribblesdale 1902 Oil on canvas, 258.4 x 143.5 cm The National Gallery, London

126

127

The portrait Isabella Stewart Gardner (1888) was similarly discrete and probably reactive to Madame X. The distinguished young lady in the portrait was brought to Sargent by Henry James in order to see the infamous unsold Madame X. The portrait of Gardner has all the desirable qualities of the controversial work of five years earlier, with none of the shocking elements. In fact, in it the lady

Mrs. Joseph E. Widener 1903 Oil on canvas, 152.4 x 97.8 cm Private collection

128

129

politely stands before an oriental backdrop that hints at surrounding her with a halo, as if to dramatise the contrast with the infamous, earthy and sensuous seductress of five years earlier. Sargent would continue to paint portraits of her over three decades. Sargent’s creations during the mid1880s were very prolific, including a portrait of Madame Paul Poirson. A portrait of the sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917),

Edward Robinson 1903 Oil on canvas, 143.5 x 92.1 cm Gift of Mrs. Edward Robinson The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

130

131

the writer Robert Louis Stevenson (18501894), and Mrs. Cecil (Frances Frew) Wade were produced in or about 1888. Other works included Home Fields, Reapers Resting in a Wheatfield, and Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, the latter completed the following year. The children Sargent used as models for Carnation were the daughters of Alice Barnard. The mother became a life-long friend of the artist. The artist caught the girls

Mrs. Gardner at Fenway Court Probably 1903 Watercolour on paper, 45.1 x 30.5 cm Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

132

133

at a quiet and delicate moment as they lit candles within Japanese rice paper lanterns. After the work’s showing at the Royal Academy, the influential critic Roger Fry included Sargent in his listing of pioneering Impressionists, but after the artist complained, the critic retracted the inappropriate label. While Sargent set out to create the work in what he thought could be ‘impressionistic’, he acknowledged

it

indeed

was

not.

Mrs. Fiske Warren (Gretchen Osgood) and Her Daughter Rachel 1903 Oil on canvas, 152.4 x 102.6 cm Gift of Mrs. Rachel Warren Barton and Emily L. Ainsley Fund Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 134

135

He would later call it “Darnation, Silly, Silly, Pose”. Yet, it remained very popular. Sargent admired the Impressionists, and Monet in particular, but he knew his Carnation was not of their movement. He did however paint in an authentically impressionist style for display in France, while continuing to produce commissioned portraits for wealthy patrons and for displays in England. A dozen years before,

Mountain Fire c. 1903-1908 Watercolour and pencil on paper, 35.6 x 50.8 cm Brooklyn Museum, New York

136

137

the critic Louis Leroy first used the term “Impressionists” in reference to works, including

Monet’s

Impression:

Sunrise

(1863). But when compared to the Sargent work, Monet’s is clearly more deserving of the term. Sargent returned to the United States in 1888 to paint the commissioned portrait of the wife of a Boston banker. It was an entrée into the “American Renaissance,”

President Theodore Roosevelt 1903 Oil on canvas, 147.3 x 101.6 cm The White House, Washington, D.C.

138

139

a movement generated by the wealthy and influential circle of Boston Society, and was led by the influential architect Stanford White (1853-1906). It would be White who would involve Sargent in the city’s major project, the murals of the Boston Library. The Library hall is two storeys high. The murals presented images on the religious themes from the earliest ages, through ancient Hebrew events, and through highlights of Christian history.

Sir Frank Swettenham 1904 Oil on canvas, 170.8 x 110.5 Sir Frank Swettenham Bequest National Portrait Gallery, London

140

141

Collectively, the murals were entitled The Triumph of Religion. Although religion was apparently not of major interest to Sargent, the murals and the crucifix that he designed would form his magnum opus. He would work on them for a quarter of a century, both on site in Boston and from abroad. Unfortunately, he would not live to see the installation of the final panels.

Portrait of Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland 1904 Oil on canvas, 254 x 146 cm Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

142

143

While White was instrumental in getting Sargent involved in Boston’s so-called “American

Renaissance”,

the

painter

sought similar entrance into London’s theatre world by presenting the elegant portrait of a Shakespearian actress in his Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth (1889). Writing to a friend about the Sargent portrait of Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth and the costume designer Alice (née Strettell) Carr,

Lady Helen Vincent 1904 Oil on canvas, 152.4 x 101.6 cm Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham

144

145

Emma Lazarus described the costume as “striking”. The painter had obviously caught the spectacular effect of “the green and blue gown like chain armour, studded with real beetle-wings”. Unfortunately, the dramatic work did not receive the same unqualified praise from the critics that it did from the actress herself. However, the work located in the Tate Gallery in London continues to command attention.

Portrait of Manuel Garcia 1904-1905 Oil on canvas, 138.1 x 96.5 cm Rhode Island School of Design, Providence

146

147

Besides the Portrait of Claude Monet, painted in 1889, Sargent also painted Claude Monet Painting at the Edge of the Wood between 1887 and 1889. In 1888, Sargent painted Dennis Miller Bunker Painting at Calcot. In these the setting is outside

and

in each

there

is

an

unobtrusive and apparently supportive woman, discreetly off to one side, yet integral to the composition.

Padre Sebastiano c. 1904-1906 Oil on canvas, 56.5 x 71.1 cm The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

148

149

Sargent’s own faithful companion when painting outdoors was his sister Emily. She was also painted by her brother, as seen in the watercolour Miss Wedgwood and Miss Sargent Sketching (1908) and later in In the Generalife (1912) during Sargent’s final trip to Spain. Another celebrity portrait Sargent produced in 1889 was of the French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), who had finished his great requiem only two years before.

The Countess of Warwick and Her Son 1905 Oil on canvas, 103 x 63 cm Worcester Art Museum, Worcester

150

151

During 1890, Sargent spent ten very productive months in the United States painting at least forty-two portraits and even one or two other works. A frequently praised work done that year is Village Children. In 1891, Sargent’s love of classic architecture was evidenced within his sketches of Santa Sofia. Two famous but undated works might also have been done about that time: Woman with Collie and Stilllife with Daffodils.

Mrs. Adolph Hirsch 1905 Oil on canvas, 123.2 x 94 cm Private collection

152

153

After Sargent’s acceptance into British society in 1893, the artist became an elected associate of the Royal Academy the following year. Three years later he became a full member of the Academy as well as a chevalier of the French Legion of Honour. A contemporary, Lady Augusta Persse Gregory (1859?-1932), wrote to a friend that she was “struck” by Sargent’s portrait of Coventy Patmore exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1895

Bedouins 1905-1906 Watercolour on paper, 40.7 x 30 cm Brooklyn Museum, New York

154

155

(There were actually two portraits of Patmore by Sargent in that exhibit). Five years later she would write about another “private view” at the Academy, noting especially “a number of portraits by American born (sic) painter John Singer Sargent, including two of Lord Russell of Killowen…” She nonchalantly would conclude with the comment “then to tea with Yeats”. The same year, Sargent created drawings for the Boston Library murals, such as for the Frieze of the Prophets.

Bridge of Sighs c. 1905-1908 Watercolour heightened with white on paper, 25.4 x 35.6 cm Brooklyn Museum, New York

156

157

While Sargent wanted to spend all his time envisioning the Boston murals and finishing the first panel, he also made time to finish the commissioned portraits of Mrs. George Swinton (1896) and Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes (1897). In 1899, The New York Times included the following short news item, under the headline “John Singer Sargent Not Dead”:

Duke of Marlborough Family (9th Duke) 1905 Oil on canvas, 332.7 x 238.8 cm Duke of Marlborough Collection Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

158

159

“The Press Association of this city today announced in unmistakable terms the death of Mr. John Singer Sargent, the American artist, and all the afternoon newspapers have printed this announcement. Some of them contained lengthy and appreciative reviews of Mr. Sargent’s career. The statement, naturally, was cabled to the United States. Investigation, however, showed the report to be untrue. Mr. Sargent is alive and enjoying good health.”

Portrait of Lady Eden 1906 Oil on canvas, 110.6 x 86.5 cm W. P. Wilstach Collection Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia

160

The artist was only forty-four then, and would live to be sixty-nine. The mistake pointed to the fact that even midway through his career, Sargent was renowned and beloved, even as his art was controversial and his best work was yet to be seen. In 1899, the artist created many portraits, including the group portrait The Wyndham Sisters: Lady Elcho, Mrs. Adeane, and Mrs. Tennant.

Conrad and Reine Ormond 1906 Oil on canvas, 58.4 x 73.7 cm Private collection

162

163

The growing number of commissions forced the artist to expand into the house next to his Tite Street studio. Anticipating

a

decade

of

many

non-portraits, Sargent painted several environmental works, including An Interior in Venice (1899). Then with the new century there was a refreshing output of non-portraits during the first decade. Let us remember the

restful

that

in

view

1888, of

he

Morning

painted Walk,

The Chess Game c. 1907 Oil on canvas, 71.1 x 55.2 cm The Harvard Club of New York City, Cambridge

164

which is in contrast especially to two works in the following year focused on very famous subject: Paul Helleu Sketching with His Wife and Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth. The artist had then returned in 1891 to other non-portraits, including Door of a Mosque. Sargent painted several portraits at the end of the century. Probably the most outstanding portrait during the period was the large group portrait Sir George Sitwell,

Self-Portrait 1907 Oil on canvas, 76.2 x 63.5 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

166

167

Lady Ida Sitwell and Family (1900). Sir George Sitwell wanted the portrait of his family to be done at the family estate

in

Derbyshire,

but

the

artist

convinced the family to pose at his Tite Street studio in Chelsea. The compromise was reached once the artist agreed that Chippendale furniture and a few artefacts would be relocated from the Sitwell estate to the studio for this large work.

The Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn 1907-1908 Oil on canvas, 160 x 108 cm Royal Collection, London

168

169

The largest object brought to Tite Street was a Louis XV tapestry that dominates the upper half of the painting. The three Sitwell children in the portrait each became famous as writers, most notably the poet, the future Dame, Edith (1887-1964). There are several points of obvious comparison between the work and Sargent’s previous The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit (1882). The composition of both was less

Lady Sassoon 1907 Oil on canvas, 62 x 41 cm Private collection

170

171

obviously

influenced

by Las Meninas

(1656) of Velázquez. In contrast to the elaborate background of that group portrait was the portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt (1903) presented little more in the painting than the great man himself. The portrait of Mrs. Philip Leslie Agnew was probably begun in 1893 and completed in approximately 1902. In 1893, Sargent did the portrait of Mrs. John J. Chapman (Elizabeth Winthrop Chanler).

Helen Brice 1907 Oil on canvas, 147.3 x 86.4 cm Private collection

172

173

The beginning of the twentieth century was another very productive period for portraits, when he produced the amazing total of at least forty-two. It would be nearly twice as many works as he would produce in the next two years combined. In 1902, Sargent completed the portrait of William Merritt Chase, another self-promoting painter, as was Carolus-Duran. Such work early in the century included several intimate portraits,

The Countess of Essex 1907 Oil on canvas, 120.6 x 94.6 cm Private collection

174

175

including the small and comparatively minor work Portrait of a Child, (1900-5) which in 2006 was auctioned for at least $700,000. It, and other paintings made during this period, reflects back to sentimental works of ten

years before,

such

as

Village

Children (1890) and Mrs. Cazalet and Her Children (c. 1899) which might remind the viewer of the relaxed and rosy-cheeked children in the cheerful impressionist works of Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919).

Lady Speyer 1907 Oil on canvas, 147.3 x 96.5 cm Private collection

176

177

These portraits of children are more candid, rather than less posed, than those of a few years earlier, including Mrs. Carl Meyer and Her Children (1896). While the faces communicate the pampered status of the family, the more experienced viewer can see through the superficial poses just as clearly and can discern the delicate hand through the transparent fan or the graceful arm through the elegant gown of the mother.

Betty Wertheimer c. 1908 Oil on canvas, 128.9 x 100 cm National Museum of American Art Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

178

179

Sargent again visited Boston in 1903 for the installation of the first panel of the Boston Library mural. That year also he painted a portrait of Mrs. Fiske Warren (Gretchen Osgood) and Her Daughter Rachel. Sargent was forty-seven years old when socialite Marian Lawrence Peabody (before 1875) met him. In a letter to a relative she described how the artist appeared to her: “He was disappointing looking.

Mrs. Charles Russell 1908 Oil on canvas, 106.5 x 77 cm Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

180

181

In fact… though he is tall, he is not well made and is in fact a little fat, his face is red, and his eyes rather goggly! He has a small brown beard and moustache and dark hair beginning to thin and turn grey. … As soon as he spoke to me I forgot all these discrepancies and, though I was saying nothing but disagreeable and tactless things about our disappointment in not getting to his studio last spring, and he was only regretting and apologising …

Miss Eliza Wedgwood and Miss Sargent Sketching 1908 Watercolour and gouache on paper, 50.2 x 35.6 cm Tate Gallery, London

182

183

I liked him better and better. He seemed so anxious to please and so unspoiled and simple. He talks fast and much and his eyes on close acquaintance look as if they could see right through people, as they do.” The most famous portrait from that year, at least for Americans, is President Theodore Roosevelt (1903). The sitter was one of the truly larger-than-life presidents of the United States. He was president from 1901 to 1909.

Cora, Countess of Strafford 1908 Oil on canvas, 157.5 x 113 cm Private collection

184

185

In contrast to portraits of comparatively minor

military

figures

with

pompous

poses, such as in Sargent’s larger work Sir Frank Swettenham (1904), the presentation of the war hero Roosevelt is simple, direct, even rather humble, without medals, weapons,

or

any

accoutrements

of

power. In the Sargent biography by Swinglehurst, the two works are placed side by side. Concerning the rather pompous pose of the once governor of Malaya,

The Earl of Wemyss and March 1909 Oil on canvas, 163 x 115.6 cm The Twelfth Earl of Wemyss and March Collection

186

187

the biographer comments: “Sargent’s tongue may have remained firmly in his cheek, but there is no malice in the painting.” Sargent did not dislike all military personnel, however. A viewer might see admiration in his simple portrait Field Marshal Viscount Allenby, painted in 1918. With the help of T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia), Allenby commanded the forces in Jerusalem and Damascus. Other works in 1903 included Artist in His Studio and Mountain Fire completed in 1908.

Mrs. Waldorf Astor 1909 Oil on canvas, 149.9 x 99 cm Astor Collection, The National Trust, Cliveden

188

189

The portrait Tiepolo Ceiling, Milan was painted in 1904, followed by Padre Sebastiano, Landscape with Goatherd and Two Arab Women. Finished the next year were the paintings Arab Stable, Bedouins, and In a Levantine Port. The artist also updated his image with another Self-Portrait in 1907. The work appears to be merely a documentation of his appearance at the time. Its details, the formal coat, stiff collar, and unsmiling stare,

Two Girls in White Dresses 1909-1911 Oil on canvas, 69.8 x 54.6 cm Private collection

190

are very similar to the self-portrait of fifteen years before. In the earlier work he faces to his right in a rather conservative pose; in the latter he faces to the left and with more energy and freedom. In the earlier, 1886, work the viewer can discern nearly a yin-yang design in which the artist’s

ambiguities

are

dramatically

suggested by showing the right half of the face in light, the left half in shadow.

Women at Work c. 1910 Oil on canvas, 55.9 x 71.1 cm Private collection

192

193

The direct light in the latter work might indicate the artist has more confidence than in the former work. Most notable that year was his rejection of an invitation to accept a knighthood. He respected his citizenship and the American tradition of not accepting such titles. He also declined an invitation to paint the king’s coronation, as he thought it would be inappropriate for an American to do so.

Florence: Torre Galli 1910 Transparent and opaque watercolour with wax resist over graphite on paper, 102.9 x 101.9 cm The Hayden Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

194

During the first two decades of the new century, Sargent became prolific again. He painted at least twenty-six non-portraits and only five other works during 1900. However, he was again producing portraits, at least ten of twenty-four works, in 1908. Besides adding at least nine portraits to the long list of earls, dukes, counts, countesses and vice countesses he painted, Sargent also created some of his most exquisite non-portraits.

Bringing down Marble from the Quarries to Carrara 1911 Oil on canvas, 71.4 x 91.8 cm The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

196

197

Examples include Horses at Palma, The Hermit, Mosquito Nets, and two paintings entitled Pomegranates, Majorca. Also in 1908, Sargent was made a member of the prestigious Royal Watercolour Society in London. The next year, the Knoedler Gallery in Manhattan had an exhibition of eighty-six of the artist’s watercolours, of which the Brooklyn Museum purchased all but three. It was a turning point for the artist, who thereafter used oils less and less.

Carrara: in a Quarry 1911 Opaque and transparent watercolour over graphite pencil, with wax resist on paper, 40.3 x 53.1 cm The Hayden Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

198

199

However, he continued to use oils as needed, such as in the murals for the Boston Library. Sargent continued to travel to the lands of the Bible in order to capture the subject of the murals. The trips were excellent opportunities to paint outdoors while perfecting techniques

for

achieving

Impressionistic

ideals. Moreover, his trips up the Nile to the temples of Luxor in 1890 prepared him to paint the scenes of religious life in ancient Egypt for the northern wall of the Boston Library.

Venice: La Dogana c. 1911 Opaque and transparent watercolour over graphite pencil, with wax resist on paper, 50.2 x 35.6 cm The Hayden Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

200

201

Similarly, his trips to the Holy Land prepared him to capture the Hebrew and Christian scenes for the murals. Some, such as the Madonna-like mothers and their babies, became virtual sketches for the murals in America. He also captured Bedouins and Arabs in his many watercolours and drawings. In 1911 Sargent painted no portraits for the first year in his career. He would also paint none in 1919 or 1924, the year before his death.

Yachts at Anchor, Palma de Majorca 1912 Watercolour and pencil on paper, 40.6 x 50.8 cm Private collection

202

203

Otherwise he typically painted several each year. From 1911 to 1915, he might have painted only ten portraits, compared to fifty-seven other works. By this time, Sargent had become identified in some social circles as a painter only of portraits. He therefore announced that he wanted to stop painting commissioned portraits. However, in 1913, he painted a portrait of his friend Henry James (1843-1916), the novelist and critic.

Church of San Stae, Venice 1913 Oil on canvas, 71.1 x 55.9 cm Private collection

204

Other portraits in 1913 included those of the Countess of Rocksavage, and The Right Honourable Earl Curzon of Kedleston. His shift from doing major portraits that year is seen in Corner of the Church of San Stae, Venice. An even greater contrast to the posed and formal studio portraits are the outdoor works of 1916-7, such as Tents at Lake O’Hara, A Tent in the Rockies, and Muddy Alligators. The next year the portrait was slashed by a woman who wanted to draw attention to suffragette causes.

Henry James 1913 Oil on canvas, 85.1 x 67.3 cm Henry James Bequest, National Portrait Gallery, London

206

Even more tragic that year, the works that Sargent had with him in Austria while staying with his friends, the Stokes in 1914, were confiscated by the Germans when the World War broke out. His hosts, who were British, were considered enemy aliens. In

1914

Sargent

painted

Spanish

Fountain and The Master and His Pupils. The following year he completed the installation of his murals in Boston. He also took on a commission to decorate a ceiling of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Sylvia Harrison 1913 Oil on canvas, 152.4 x 88.9 cm Private collection

208

209

Sargent produced Camp at Lake O’Hara in 1916, and the next year painted a portrait of U.S President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1923), who was president from 1913 to 1921. Other Americans painted that year included Charles Deering. The same year the artist also reluctantly took on a portrait of John D. Rockefeller

(1839-1937),

who

to

him

personified wealthy Americans. During most of his professional life, Sargent continued his sketching of nude males, such as Nude Study of Thomas E. McKeller (c. 1917-20).

George Nathaniel, Marquis Curzon of Kedleston 1913 Oil on canvas, 100.4 x 77.5 cm Royal Geographical Society, London

210

Sargent found calm moments even within the tragedies of the World War. From 1918 there is Tommies Bathing and Ruined Cathedral, Arras. At this time also Sargent created his monumental masterpiece, Gassed (1919). Like Madame X, that painting has an especially important and interesting context. After he returned to England in 1918, he took on the role of being an official war artist. He was sent to the Western Front and assigned to capture scenes showing cooperation between the allies,

Tents at Lake O’Hara 1916 Oil on canvas, 55.9 x 71.4 cm Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford

212

213

especially between Britain and the United States. At first discouraged by the monotonous sight of battle weary troops, he happened upon

a

group

of

wounded

soldiers.

He painted two lines of ten men each, each blindfolded and holding onto the man in front of him, as they walk along the Arras-Louriers road. They were blinded victims of mustard gas poisoning. They walk between three dozen or more other wounded comrades. Yet the viewer can see in the distance that life goes on,

A Tent in the Rockies 1916 Watercolour on paper, 39.2 x 53.2 cm Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

214

215

as some troops are playing soccer. The powerful epic scene is entitled simply Gassed. It was named the “Picture of the Year” by the Royal Academy. The large work now hangs in the Imperial War Museum in London. After the war, he quickly returned to his lucrative portrait painting, as in General Officers of World War. They continued into the 1920s with Alice James, Mrs. Gardner in White and The Countess of Rocksavage.

John D. Rockefeller 1917 Oil on canvas, 147.4 x 114.3 cm Collection of Senator and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, IV

216

The contrasting works during this period include The Piazza or On the Verandah and the decorations for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, such as Atlas and the Hesperides. In 1919 Sargent refused an invitation to head up the Royal Academy. He was entirely too busy painting in the Tite Street studio, as well as continually working on the Boston Public Library murals and other large projects in America. In 1921, Sargent returned to Boston for the unveiling of mural decorations in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Charles Deering 1917 Oil on canvas, 71.2 x 56.5 cm Private collection

218

He accepted a commission to do additional mural work for the museum. In 1922 Sargent created ten portraits and fifteen other works. Among his final portraits painted that year were Mrs. Gardner in White and Mrs. Henry White. That year he also painted two commemorative war panels for Harvard University, each in the patriotic Symbolist-style of the 1890s. Their titles are The Coming of the Americans to Europe and Death and Victory.

President Woodrow Wilson 1917 Oil on canvas, 153 x 109.2 cm National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

220

221

Most of his projects in Boston and at Harvard were completed by 1923, except for final panels of the Boston Public Library. He returned to England that year, but came back to America the very next year to attend a 1924 retrospective of his work in Manhattan, and then he returned to London. However, that year he might not have produced any paintings. As seen in past cycles of the artist’s productive career, some of his more placid and relaxed images are enveloped by

Nude Study of Thomas E. McKeller c. 1917-1920 Oil on canvas, 125.7 x 84.4 cm Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund (1986) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

222

223

commissioned portraits that probably reflect less of his sensitive soul. The 1925 work Rainy Day on the Deck of the Yacht Constellation is such a work that is sandwiched

chronologically

between

portraits, including the 1923 Sir Philip Sassoon and the 1925 The Marchioness Curzon of Kedleston. John Singer Sargent died in his sleep on 4 April, 1925. He was scheduled to leave the next day for Boston to supervise the installation of his final panels of Triumph of Religion.

Tommies Bathing 1918 Watercolour and graphite on white woven paper, 39 x 52.8 cm Gift of Mrs. Francis Ormond (1950) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

224

225

His remains are buried at Brookwood Cemetery in Woking, twenty miles from London. His burial location began a new family plot. On the grave marker is the second part of the Benedictine motto “Orare est laborare; laborare est orare.” (To pray is to work; to work is to pray.) Below the text is his name in the form he used throughout life: John S. Sargent. The middle name Singer was the maiden name of his mother, Mary née Newbold Singer. A week after the burial,

Ruined Cathedral, Arras 1918 Oil on canvas, 54.6 x 69.8 cm Private collection

226

227

the official memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey, to which the King and the American Embassy sent representatives. Canon Carnegie officiated. The religious services were organised by and for his survivors, although Sargent himself was not a religious person, in spite of his heroic mural The Triumph of Religion. Members of the Royal Academy attended the body. Another service was held later at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Gassed 1919 Oil on canvas, 231 x 611.1 cm Imperial War Museum, London

228

229

Within hours after the death of Sargent, a memorial collection of his works owned by the Brooklyn Museum was gathered from their various rooms and assembled in a central

location

along

with

a

large

photograph of the distinguished artist. In his will, made seven years earlier, Singer left his estate to his sisters, except for 800 pounds left to his loyal model and companion Nicola, and 5,000 pounds to Alice Barnard,

The Piazza or On the Verandah 1921-1922 Watercolour on paper, 38.1 x 52.7 cm Private collection

230

231

the mother of the two girls who modelled for Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. Although Sargent came to dislike that work, the mother became a friend. However, the work was not mentioned in the nine-page supplement of tributes that accompanied his obituary in the London Times. The New York Times featured a lengthy review of the Brooklyn memorial exhibit which was virtually a retrospective tribute to the artist.

Alice Runnells James (Mrs. William James) 1921 Transparent and opaque watercolour over graphite pencil on paper, 53.5 x 34.3 cm Gift of William James (1977), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

232

233

One of the early notices received on the death of the artist began its comments dramatically, stating “With the death … of John Singer Sargent it ceased to be possible to speak of the great American artist who was so rarely in America as the only living old master.” The article’s headline referred to the artist as both a modern “Old Master” and “One of the most debated figures in the art world.” The praise of Sargent’s œuvre, nearly unanimous today, had not yet been confirmed in the wake of his death. Later in the year,

Mrs. Gardner in White 1922 Watercolour on paper, 43 x 32 cm Given by the artist (1922) Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

234

235

an exhibition of Sargent’s works at Knoedler’s Gallery in Manhattan was given only second billing in the New York Times to the artist Henry Ernest Schnakenberg (1892-1970), then only thirty years old. The general opinion of Sargent’s art, specifically the praise of his portraits, diminished significantly after his death. Even as late as 1987, the critic Harlan Hibbard stated that Sargent was one of “the nineteenth century painters, who were making such detailed paintings,

General Officers of World War I 1922 Oil on canvas, 299.7 x 528.3 cm Given by Sir Abe Bailey (1922) National Portrait Gallery, London

236

237

which were really nothing but photographs.” However, hyperbole about Sargent used by some commentators today is in contrast to the earlier guarded and even negative evaluations. On one hand: “Sargent is regarded as the greatest virtuoso of the paintbrush in the history of American art.” On the other hand, in their volumes of art history, some scholars do not acknowledge the influence or even the popularity of the artist.

Atlas and the Hesperides 1922-1925 Ceiling decoration, oil on canvas and architectural framing, diameter: 304.8 cm Gift of Francis Bartlett, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

238

239

When curator of the Louvre, Germain Bazin, wrote his widely used Histoire de l‘art, he offered only one sentence about Sargent: He “was an artist of international reputation, a painter of superficial fashionable portraits in a facile and dazzling technique that went far to disguise their empty ideality.” Even more recently, the massive history of art by the Jasons amazingly makes no mention of Sargent. Likewise, there is no reference to him in History of Art

The Marchioness of Cholmondeley 1922 Oil on canvas, 161.3 x 89.8 cm Private collection

240

241

by Sorbonne professor Jacques Thuillier, who served for twenty years on an international committee for instruction of the history of art. However, recent editions of the popular textbooks that began with Helen Gardner’s 1926 Art Through the Ages, do include Sargent in their survey. The eighth edition includes a discussion of Sargent’s The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit (1882).

Sir Philip Sassoon 1923 Oil on canvas, 95.2 x 57.8 cm Sir Philip Sassoon Bequest, Tate Gallery, London

242

243

Another recent comprehensive survey of artists and their works, 1000 Paintings of Genius, includes a brief profile of Sargent and reproductions of his art. Henry James concisely summed up the contemporary and current opinion about Sargent’s place in art history. Specifically, he said that Sargent “got too good too young, so he never got great”. But, distance and time have added enlightened commentators who can now see that Sargent was gifted

Rainy Day on the Deck of the Yacht Constellation 1924 Watercolour on paper, 33.6 x 53.3 cm Private collection

244

245

with a brilliant insight and, at the least, developed a memorable and influential manner distinctively his own. Vernon Lee commented: “More and more it has seemed to me that Sargent’s life was absorbed in his painting, and the summing up of the would-be biographer must, I think, be: he painted. … But…his life was not merely in painting, but in the more and more intimate understanding and enjoying the world around him…”

The Marchioness Curzon of Kedleston 1925 Oil on canvas, 129.2 x 92.4 cm Currier Museum of Art, Manchester

246

247

List of Illustrations A Alfred, Son of Asher Wertheimer

107

Alice Runnells James (Mrs. William James)

233

Among the Olive Trees, Capri Atlas and the Hesperides Auguste Rodin

21 239 73

B Bedouins

155

Betty Wertheimer

179

Bridge of Sighs

157

Bringing down Marble from the Quarries to Carrara

197

C Carmela Bertagna

19

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose

81

Carrara: in a Quarry 248

199

Charles Deering

219

The Chess Game

165

Church of San Stae, Venice

205

Conrad and Reine Ormond

163

Cora, Countess of Strafford

185

The Countess of Essex

175

The Countess of Warwick and Her Son

151

D The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit

63

A Dinner Table at Night (The Glass of Claret)

77

Doctor Samuel Jean Pozzi at Home

43

Door of a Mosque

91

The Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn

169

The Duchess of Portland

123

Duke of Marlborough Family (9th Duke)

159 249

E The Earl of Wemyss and March Edith, Lady Playfair (Edith Russell) Edward Robinson

187 71 131

El Jaleo

55

Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth

89

Ena and Betty, Daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Asher Wertheimer

109

Essie, Ruby and Ferdinand, Children of Asher Wertheimer

115

F Fishing for Oysters at Cancale Florence: Torre Galli

13 195

Frieze of the Prophets (Detail of Study for the Boston Public Library)

93

Fumée d’ambre gris (Smoke of Ambergris)

33

G Gassed

229

General Officers of World War I

237

George Nathaniel, Marquis Curzon of Kedleston

211

250

H Head of Ana, Capri Girl

17

Helen Brice

173

Henry James

207

Hyldia, Almina and Conway, Children of Asher Wertheimer

111

I/J An Interior in Venice John D. Rockefeller

99 217

L Lady Helen Vincent

145

Lady Meysey-Thompson

113

Lady Sassoon

171

Lady Speyer

177

Lady with the Rose (Charlotte Louise Burckhardt) Lord Ribblesdale Luxembourg Gardens at Twilight

59 127 25 251

M Madame Edouard Pailleron

27

Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast

67

Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)

69

Man Wearing Laurels

9

The Marchioness Curzon of Kedleston

247

The Marchioness of Cholmondeley

241

Miss Eliza Wedgwood and Miss Sargent Sketching

183

The Misses Hunter

103

The Misses Vickers

75

Morning Walk

85

Mountain Fire

137

Mr. and Mrs. John White Field Mrs. Adolph Hirsch Mrs. Cecil (Frances Frew) Wade

65 153 83

Mrs. Charles Russell

181

Mrs. Fiske Warren (Gretchen Osgood) and Her Daughter Rachel

135

Mrs. Gardner at Fenway Court

133

Mrs. Gardner in White

235

Mrs. Joseph E. Widener

129

Mrs. Leopold Hirsch

121

252

Mrs. Philip Leslie Agnew

119

Mrs. Waldorf Astor

189

N/O Neapolitan Children Bathing

23

Nude Study of Thomas E. McKeller

223

On His Holidays, Norway

105

Oyster Gatherers of Cancale

15

P Padre Sebastiano

149

Paul Helleu Sketching His Wife

87

The Piazza or On the Verandah

231

Portrait of Asher Wertheimer

95

Portrait of Carolus-Duran

31

Portrait of Frances Sherborne Ridley Watts (Portrait of Mile W.)

11

Portrait of Lady Eden

161

Portrait of Manuel Garcia

147

Portrait of Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland

143

Portrait of Mrs. Asher B. Wertheimer

97

Portraits of Edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron

41 253

President Theodore Roosevelt

139

President Woodrow Wilson

221

Pressing the Grapes: Florentine Wine Cellar

61

R Rainy Day on the Deck of the Yacht Constellation

245

Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra at the Cirque d’Hiver

29

Robert Louis Stevenson and His Wife

79

Ruined Cathedral, Arras

227

S Self-Portrait

167

Sir Frank Swettenham

141

Sir George Sitwell, Lady Ida Sitwell and Family

101

Sir Philip Sassoon

243

Sortie de l’église (After Church), Campo San Canciano, Venice

53

A Street in Venice

47

Street in Venice

49

The Sulphur Match

57

Sylvia Harrison 254

209

T A Tent in the Rockies

215

Tents at Lake O’Hara

213

Tommies Bathing

225

Two Girls in White Dresses

191

V Venetian Bead Stringers

37

Venetian Glass Workers

39

A Venetian Interior

51

Venetian Women in the Palazzo Rezzonico

35

Venice: La Dogana Vernon Lee

201 45

W/Y William Marshall Cazalet

125

William Merritt Chase

117

Women at Work

193

Yachts at Anchor, Palma de Majorca

203 255