John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) is one of the most famous portrait painters in art history. His glamourous portraits are patently his own and are easily recognizable as his. John Singer Sargent was the son of an American doctor and he was born in Florance, Italy in 1856.

‘Madam X’ and the furore

John Singer studied painting in Italy and France. In 1884, he caused a sensation with his painting of Madame Gautreau which he exhibited as Madame X at the Paris Salon. The painting caused a 'ruckus' among the art-loving people stating that the painting was 'provocatively erotic'. 

Disturbed over the people’s reaction to his painting, John Singer had to move to England and this proved to be the beginning of his productive innings in this painting career. He established himself as the country’s leading portrait painter.

Favourable Response From London

Sargent began sending his portraits and paintings for exhibition at the Royal Academy. These paintings include the portraits of ‘Dr Pozzi at Home‘ (1881), ‘Mrs Henry White’, (1883). Encouraged by the favourable reception of his artworks emanating from England, Sargent finally decided to move to London in 1886. 

He tasted his major success came in 1887 when he received an enthusiastic response to his painting ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose‘. This was a large piece of art depicting two young girls lighting lanterns in an English garden. Sargent painted it on-site and he sold it to Tate Gallery.

His Productive Days in England

During this period in England, John Singer made many portraits, such as Joseph Chamberlain (1896), Frank Swettenham (1904), and Hency James (1913). He visited the US on quite a few occasions where he made portraits. He also worked on a series of decorative paintings for public buildings such as the Boston Public Library (1890) and the Museum of Fine Arts (1916). 

Sargent painted a portrait of Carolus-Duran and his effort gained huge public approval. The also defined the direction of his future artistic career.

Portraits of American Statesmen

In 1894, Sargent was elected an associate of the Royal Academy and he became a full member three years later. 

In the 1980s, he produced paintings and portraits at an average rate of 14 per year. During this period, he produced the portrait of the beautiful ‘Lady Agnew of Lochnaw’ in 1892. Sargent’s success in painting portraits was unmatched as in the case of his portrait ‘Mrs. Hugh Hammersley’ (1802). 

Sargent came to be known as ‘the Van Dyck of our times. He painted a series of three portraits of Robert Louis Stevenson. The portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife (1885) was one of his best-known portraits. Sargent also finished portraits of two US presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

‘Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt’

Charles McKim, architect in charge of repairs to the While House commissioned Sargent to paint Theodore Roosevelt. Sargent produced the portrait of Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. 

There was a snippet of news making rounds saying that there was disagreement between the artist and the President regarding the exact location of the painting. When they did not agree to the location on the first level, they started up the stairwell. Halfway up the stairwell, Sargent made a remark that did not find favour with Roosevelt. 

Upon arriving at the landing, Roosevelt placed his palm on the newel and turned round to make a rejoinder to Sargent’s remarks regarding his inability to pose for the portrait. Sargent was quick to grab the occasion and asked Roosevelt to stand firm at that position. The final product pleased the President.

John Singer’s Famous Paintings

‘Madame X’

Spanish master, Velazquez Las Meninas was the major source of inspiration for John Singer. His admirers think that his paintings could find a match only in those of the Spanish Master. Sargent’s portrait ‘Madame X’ made in 1884 is one of his best works and it was also his personal favourite. 

When this portrait was first exhibited at the 1884 Paris Salon, it had to face such a negative response from the art patrons that Sargent, eventually had to move to London. Eventually, Sargent had to sell this painting to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Slipping Strap and Controversy

While being one of Sargent’s best, experts also feel that it is one of his most controversial paintings. This painting features Virginie Avengno Gautreau, the American wife of a French banker. She was popular in the French capital for her good looks and daring and stylish appearance. 

The original version of the painting showed the right shoulder strap of her gown slipping off. As the painting attracted much criticism due to the slipping strap, Sargent had to remove the painting from the exhibition.

Indecency and Fall From Grace

‘Madame X‘ is essentially a portrait of Virginie Gautreau, a woman known for requisite beauty and notorious love affairs. The painting proved a setback for both Sargent and Gautreau as it had to face extreme negative reception from the public. In the original painting, Sargent painted the right strap of Gautreau’s black dress off her shoulders and laying loose against the side of her right arm. 

The public hated it because it thought that ‘it was a brazen image of a brazen woman' and that the paintings should not be a medium to flaunt indecently. 

As a reaction to the scathing comments from the public, Sargent repainted the right shoulder strap, making it look respectable. As a result, Sargent withdrew permanently from his Parisian art circles and headed to London while Gautreau went to Brittany.

‘Lady Agnew of Lochnaw’

Lady Agnew of Lochnaw is the portranit of Gertrude Vernon, the daughter of the Hon.Gwran Vernon. She married Sir. Andrew Agnew, 9th Baronet of Lochnaw Castle in Wigtownshire in 1889. 

During 1892, Sir Andrew Agnew commissioned John Singer Sargent to paint her portrait. The success of the painting enhanced her prestige. The portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, in 1893 and its success must have led to the artist’s acceptance as an associate of the Academy in the following year. 

John Singer’s other famous paintings

‘Mrs. Carl Meyer and Her Children’ (1896), ‘Self Portrait’, (1906), ”Lady Evelyn Cavendish’ (1902), ‘The Daughters of Edward Darley Bolt’, (1882), ‘Madame X’ (1888), ‘Lady Agnew of Lochnaw’ (1892), ‘The Wyndham Sisters: Lady Elcho, rs.Adeane, and Mrs. Tennant’ (1899), ‘Sir Frank Swettenham’ (1904), ‘Ada Rehan’, (1894),

Experts and art lovers feel that the exotic qualities inherent in Sargent’s works appealed to Jewish clients whom he painted from the 1890s. Sargent’s portrait of Almina, Daughter of Asher Wertheimer (1908) in which he has depicted the subject in colourful costume met with the satisfaction of the father of the subject, Asher Wertheimer, a wealthy Jewish art dealer living in London. 

Later, he commissioned Sargent for painting a series of a dozen portraits of his family. This was the artist’s single largest commission from a single patron and it reveals the nature of the relationship the painter had with his patron.

Value of His Paintings

Sargent’s painting ‘Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife’ sold for $8.8 million in 2004. Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn bought this paintig for display at his casino, Wynn Las Vegas’. His other painting ‘Group with Parasols (A Siesta) solf for $US 23.5 million.