John Singer Sargent had a very unorthodox, yet cosmopolitan upbringing; he learned three languages, and was exposed to subjects such as geography, arithmetic and reading. But although his father was his main professor throughout his early education, it was his mother’s proposal for him to draw that led Sargent to become of the world’s most renown artists. From his original training in Paris, to his permanent residence in England, to his intense popularity among the American public, John Singer Sargent immersed himself in a lifestyle that most artists today could only dream of.
Had it not been for his mother’s encouragement, we wouldn’t have been exposed to two of my favorite portraits by Sargent: Madame X and Lady with the Rose. The paintings have many similarities; Both were completed in 1884, the paintings’ main subject is a lady in a black dress, the paintings both host a dull background, and both women are dressed elegantly. But what makes the two paintings stand out are the stark differences in the stories they seem to tell.
At face value, Madame X reminds me of Marilyn Monroe: beautiful, playful, classic. She is facing away from the artist painting her, possibly to reflect an indecisive demeanor. Based on her body language, I would think she has a bubbly personality, someone who would giggle in an uncomfortable situation to lighten the mood. The woman seems to be wearing a very flirtatious dress for 1884, shoulders fully exposed. But oddly enough, it wasn’t what the woman was wearing that sparked controversy among the French public, it was Sargent’s “indifference to conventions of pose, modeling, and treatment of space,” as the article “John Singer Sargent” so eloquently put. She seems to enjoy being painted, standing in a very dramatic pose, contrary to France’s beliefs. The elegance of this woman is unparalleled by the woman in Lady with the Rose. However, the latter gives off a much more interesting personality.
Madame X, 1884
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the woman pictured in Lady with the Rose gives off a no-nonsense glare into her painter’s soul. She reminds me of Whoopi Goldberg: straightforward, opinionated, unrelenting. She seems to have incredible strength and determination and has no time for nonsense. Her arm placed sternly on her hip makes it look like she’s saying “Are you finished yet? I’ve got things to do.” In “Picture and Text,” Henry James highlights the woman’s “arm somewhat extended, offer[ing] to view a single white flower.” The flower seems somewhat forced upon her, pinched between her fingers as if it were some sort of disease. I believe this flower represents her opposing views on the societal norms of how a female should behave in 1884. She seems to have no fear of repercussions in stating an opinion and she doesn’t need a man to keep her satisfied. She resembles a completely different character than the woman in Madame X, and to me, a much more interesting one.
Lady with a Rose, 1884
Even besides these two portraits, after reading about and viewing his other works in “Picture and Text,” I admire Sargent’s ability to capture real and raw emotion within a canvas. His simplicity and candid expression make his work both enjoyable yet though-provoking. The article “John Singer Sargent” assures the reader that he had many, many American fans, and after browsing through his work for the first time, I can assure you that he has gained one more.
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