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Regarded as one of the greatest American painters of the 19^th century, expatriate John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was the leading international portraitist of his time.  He was then, and is now, celebrated for his brilliant paintings of fashionable people.  Attracted by his elegant and vital style, his siters included the writers Robert Louis Stevens and Henry James, the actress Ellen Terry, and numerous members of cosmopolitan society from Paris, London, New York and Boston.  Sargent’s directness of vision, in the tradition of Valázquez and Manet, also initiated controversy.  Indeed, Madame X, perhaps his most famous picture, was considered scandalous when exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1884.

            In John Singer Sargent previously unpublished material is included, including a detailed timeline of his life.  And 260 paintings, drawings, and watercolors reproduce Sargent’s most famous portraits, as well as his subject pictures, landscapes, and nude drawing studies.

            In addition to three essays by curator Patricia Hills, who organized the exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, for which this is the catalogue, other essayists include the scholars Linda Ayres, Annette Blaugrund, Albert Boime, William H. Gerdts, Stanley Olson, and Gary A. Reynolds.  (Adapted from dust jacket of the book.)

 

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