John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was one of the most sought-after portraitists in America and England during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His brilliant brushwork and flair for flattering characterization kept Sargent in demand. His admiration for Diego Velazquez and Frans Hals strongly influenced his work.
Portrait of Mrs. Daniel Sargent Curtis is one of a number of informal portraits Sargent created for his friends. Mrs. Curtis was an American expatriate living in Venice, Italy. Sargent often stayed with the Curtis family while visiting Venice.
Visual Discussion Starters
What part of the painting do you notice first? Why?
Besides the flesh tones of the face and the dark background, what other contrasts do you see?
The contrast between the detailed, carefully applied brushwork of Mrs. Curtis's face and black clothing and the bravura brushwork of her white matron's cap exemplifies the flair for brushwork that advanced Sargent's reputation.
What colors do you see?
Sargent used a limited palette of black, white, and flesh tones in this work.
Mrs. Curtis belonged to the society of the Gilded Age era that admired portraits that highlighted their elaborate, expensive living conditions. By rejecting a background that boasted of her great wealth, what did Sargent instead emphasize about Mrs. Curtis? The emphasis on her face provides you with a strong sense of her personality.
Sargent is well known for his accurate, yet flattering characterization of his sitters. Consider Mrs. Curtis's pose, attire, facial expression, and the angle from which Sargent depicted her. How do these things describe her character? Mrs. Curtis was considered a very intelligent, highly literate, opinionated woman. Because of her doge-like standing in the American expatriot community in Venice, Sargent nicknamed her the "dogeressa."
What is the mood?
Cultural/Historical Discussion Starters
Consider how this work relates to the Gilded Age.
Key Points:
- Influence of European Art and Culture
- Artists and wealthy patrons collaborating as never before in the U.S.
Based on what you have already discussed, what made Sargent so in demand as a society portraitist?
What did Sargent's patrons want? The growing number of newly rich people during the Gilded Age period created a strong demand for society portraits that served to lend status and prestige to the sitters. Sargent is best known for his portraits of Gilded Age society.
John Singer Sargent Biography
- 1856 - Born in Florence to expatriate American parents. Spends most of childhood touring Europe, mainly in Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany
- 1868 - Receives his first formal art instruction in Rome
- 1870-73 - Sporadically attends the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Florence
- 1874-78 - Works as an assistant and student in the Paris studio of portraitist Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran. Attends drawing classes at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
- 1876 - Visits America
- 1877 - Exhibits first portrait at the Paris Salon
- 1879 - Travels to Spain and Morocco. Copies paintings by Velasquez at the Prado
- 1880 - Travels to Belgium and Holland. Copies works by Frans Hals
- 1881 - Meets James McNeill Whistler in Venice
- 1882-84 - Lives in Paris and exhibits the portrait of Madame Gautreau (or Madame X) at the 1884 Paris Salon. His portrait of the bare-shouldered, busty 23-year-old American woman scandalizes the Paris establishment. Sargent leaves Paris believing his career as a portrait painter in Paris is over.
- 1885 - Settles in London following the scandalous reception of Madame Gautreau. After a few years, he becomes the most sought-after and admired portrait painter in Great Britain and the United States.
- 1886 - Exhibits with the New English Art Club, of which he is a founding member
- 1887 - Visits and works with Claude Monet at Giverny, France, and makes his first professional trip to America
- 1888 - Holds a one-man exhibition at the St. Botolph Club, Boston, Massachusetts
- 1891 - Begins murals for the Boston Public Library
- 1890s - International reputation as a portraitist reaches its peak. Paints many of the distinguished personalities of his day, including novelists Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry James, and Lady Randolph Churchill. Many of his clients are Americans, such as art patron Isabella Stewart Gardner, Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, and oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller.
- 1897 - Elected as a member of the National Academy of Design in New York, the Royal Academy of Art in London, and the Legion of Honor in France
- 1905-6 - Travels widely throughout Europe
- 1906 - Abandons portraiture and works primarily in watercolor
- 1910 - Devotes himself to landscapes and the murals at Boston
- 1924 - Retrospective exhibition held at the Grand Central Art Galleries, New York
- 1925 - Dies in London. Memorial exhibition of his work held in Boston
- 1926 - Memorial exhibitions held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Royal Academy and Tate Gallery in London
John Singer Sargent
United States, 1856-1925
