The Gilded Age in American Art

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."