John Singer Sargent

portrait painter

To own a Sargent portrait was a status symbol.

💡 Did you know? Sargent was the most sought-after portraitist of his day: he painted over 900 oils, many of the wealthiest people on two continents.

Madame X

„Madame X“ shows a Paris society lady in a daring black gown: the scandal over it forced Sargent to leave Paris.

💡 Did you know? The scandal was so great that he moved from Paris to London.

virtuoso, loose brushwork

Up close the strokes look almost random, from a distance alive.

💡 Did you know? Sargent often painted in a few sittings with lightning-quick, confident strokes: up close they look almost abstract.

American (in Europe)

Sargent was American but was born in Florence and lived almost his whole life in Europe.

💡 Did you know? He spoke several languages fluently and felt equally at home in London, Paris and Venice.

Gassed

Later he preferred to turn to landscapes and watercolours.

💡 Did you know? „Gassed“ shows a line of soldiers blinded by mustard gas: Sargent's harrowing indictment of the First World War.

1925

Sargent died in London in 1925; in his last years he had tired of lucrative portraits and turned to landscapes and murals.

💡 Did you know? Of the endless portrait commissions Sargent once said: „Another damned face!“

Madame X (Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau)

Around 1884: the portrait felt to be too daring, which caused a scandal.

💡 Did you know? Originally a shoulder strap had slipped down: the scandal was so great that Sargent painted it back up.

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose

Around 1885/86: children with lanterns at dusk, in delicate light.

💡 Did you know? Two girls with lanterns at dusk: Sargent painted only a few minutes a day in the right evening light.

The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit

Painted around 1882.

💡 Did you know? The four girls are lost in a huge dark room: an enigmatic, modern family picture.

Gassed

Painted around 1919.

💡 Did you know? The monumental picture is over 6 metres wide: the blinded soldiers grope forward in a line.

Lady Agnew of Lochnaw

Painted around 1892.

💡 Did you know? This portrait finally made Sargent the celebrated star of London high society.

The Wyndham Sisters

Painted around 1899.

💡 Did you know? Three sisters in white gowns: a critic dubbed the picture „the three Graces.“

Cashmere

Painted around 1908.

💡 Did you know? Women in cashmere shawls pass by like a frieze: a picture far from the commissioned portraits.

El Jaleo

Painted around 1882.

💡 Did you know? A Spanish flamenco dancer in dramatic raking light: the fruit of Sargent's journey through Spain.

Arab Woman

Painted around 1902.

💡 Did you know? Travelling in the Near East, Sargent captured people and light in loose studies.

Street in Venice

Painted around 1882.

💡 Did you know? Sargent painted Venice not as a grand backdrop but in its narrow, shadowy alleys.

The Misses Vickers

Painted around 1884.

💡 Did you know? An early group portrait that secured Sargent's reputation as a master of elegant society.

John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent (1856 to 1925) was an American painter and the most sought-after portraitist of his day, famous for his virtuoso, elegant brushwork.

💡 Did you know? Sargent painted the rich and powerful of two continents: but in the end he tired of the glamorous commissions so much that he took hardly any more portraits.