Sargent
Sargent was born in Florence, in 1856, the son of cultivated parents. When Sargent entered the school of Carolus-Duran he attained much more than the average pupils. His father was a retired Massachusetts gentleman, having practised medicine in Philadelphia. Sargent’s home life was penetrated with refinement, and outside it were the beautiful influences of Florence, combining the charms of sky and hills with the wonders of art in the galleries and the opportunities of an intellectual and artistic society. Accordingly, when Sargent arrived in Paris, he was not only a skilful draughtsman and painter as a result of his study of the Italian masters, but he also had a refined and cultivated taste, which perhaps had an even greater influence upon his career. Later in Spain, it was chiefly upon the lessons learned from Velázquez that he found his own brilliant method.
Sargent belongs to America, but is claimed by others as a citizen of the world, or a cosmopolitan. Sargent, with the exception of a few months at distant intervals, spent his life abroad. The artistic influences which affected him were those of Europe. Yet his Americanism may be detected in his extraordinary facility to absorb impressions, in the individuality he evolved, and in the subtlety and reserve of his methods – qualities that are characteristic of the best American art.
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Foreword
“There is no greater work of art than a great portrait – a truth to be constantly taken to heart by a painter holding in his hands the weapon that Mr. Sargent wields.”
Henri James
Self-Portrait, 1907.
Oil on canvas, 76.2 × 63.5 cm.
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
Biography
1854: Sargent’s family takes up residence in Europe.
1856: John Sargent is born on 12 January in Florence.
1857: The Sargents have a daughter, Emily.
1865: Studies drawing and watercolour while travelling throughout Europe with his parents.
1870: Begins drawing classes at the Academia delle Belle Arti, Florence. The Sargents have a second daughter, Violet.
1874: Moves with the family to Paris. Sargent begins painting classes, first at the studio of Emile Carolus-Duran, then with Adolphe Yvon at the Ecole des beaux-arts.
1876: Visits the United States with his mother and sister Emily. He confirms his U. S. citizenship. He returns to Paris and continues to study.
1878–9: Travels to Spain and Morocco. He sees works by Velázquez and Goya.
1880–1: Begins a six-month stay in Venice. Joins mother and sisters in Nice.
1882–4: Paints The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit. He exhibits his portrait of Madame Pierre Gautreau, Madame X. He meets author Henry James.
1885–6: Moves to London and there paints his first portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson.
1890: He accepts a commission to create mural decorations in Boston.
1894: Is elected as an associate of the Royal Academy. He exhibits the first completed part of the Boston mural.
1903: Goes to Boston for the installation of the first panel of the Boston Library mural. He paints a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt.
1907: He announces that he wants to stop painting commissioned portraits.
1913: Paints a portrait of Henry James.
1916: Completes the installation of his murals in Boston. Takes on a commission to decorate a ceiling of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
1917: Paints a portrait of Woodrow Wilson.
1918: Returns to Europe and visits battlefields in France.
1921–2: Returns to Boston for the unveiling of mural decorations in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Installs a commissioned mural for a library at Harvard University.
1924: Attends a retrospective of his work in Manhattan. Returns to London.
1925: Dies on 4 April. Memorial service is held at Westminster Abbey and later at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Introduction
In 1854, Americans Dr. Fitz William Sargent and his wife Mary planned a short visit to Europe. He was a surgeon from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was an amateur painter who loved travelling and experiencing different cultures. They had lost a child shortly before arriving in Europe. A vacation abroad would be a way for the couple to cope somewhat with their grief. However, instead of a brief stay, they gradually took up residence in Europe and returned to America only for short visits.
Man Wearing Laurels
1874–1880
Oil on canvas, 44.4 × 33.4 cm
Mary D. Keeler Bequest
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Two years after arriving in Europe, their son John was born on 12 January, 1856, in Florence. The following year John’s sister, Emily, was born. When she was four, an accident damaged her spine. Early in life she came to rely on John, who lovingly cared for her thereafter. Another sister, Violet, was born in 1870, also in Florence. Throughout his life, Sargent would rarely travel without his mother or sisters. He and Emily would never marry.
Portrait of Frances Sherborne Ridley Watts (Portrait of Mile W.)
1877
Oil on canvas, 105.9 × 81.3 cm
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wharton Sinkler
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
He did not have a mistress, although many men of his time with the means did so. Moreover, Sargent apparently never had a serious love affair with a woman, even though he became a cult figure in social circles, and there were many women among his admirers. Those fans, as well as models, would visit him often at his studio. He did, however, have special friends, including Violet Paget, whom he met in Nice. She was a writer who used the pen name Vernon Lee.
Fishing for Oysters at Cancale
1878
Oil on canvas, 41 × 61 cm
Gift of Miss Mary Appleton (1935)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Her letters, which include memories of Sargent, were privately printed in 1937. Sargent would also later become a friend of Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, the beautiful model who posed for the famous Madame X portrait.
Sargent showed musical talent early in life and played the piano, but drawing was more obviously his passion. Starting when only nine years old, Sargent continually sketched and used watercolours while the family travelled throughout Europe, visiting the major art centres of London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Nice, as well as holiday locations, including Pau in the French Pyrenees. When his father was in America on business, his mother would take the children to Lake Como, the Tyrol, Switzerland, Salzburg, Milan, Catalonia and Andalusia. It is not surprising that Sargent’s art would reflect his wide experience and exposure to many cultures.
