John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings. His oeuvre documents worldwide travel, from Venice to the Tyrol, Corfu, the Middle East, Montana, Maine, and Florida. His parents were American, but he was trained in Paris prior to moving to London. Sargent enjoyed international acclaim as a portrait painter, although not without controversy and some critical reservation; an early submission to the Paris Salon, his Portrait of Madame X, was intended to consolidate his position as a society painter, but it resulted in scandal instead. From the beginning his work was characterized by remarkable technical facility, particularly in his ability to draw with a brush, which in later years inspired admiration as well as criticism for a supposed superficiality. His commissioned works were consistent with the grand manner of portraiture, while his informal studies and landscape paintings displayed a familiarity with Impressionism. In later life Sargent expressed ambivalence about the restrictions of formal portrait work, and devoted much of his energy to mural painting and working en plein air. He lived most of his life in Europe. Art historians generally ignored the society artists such as Sargent until the late 20th century.

ID: 155626

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Born in Italy to expatriate American parents, Sargent became a highly regarded and prolific portraitist of the late 19th century, working in France, England and the U.S. Under the influence of Carolus-Duran, Sargent undertook a study of the works of Velázquez in Spain, 1879, and Frans Hals in the Netherlands. He was also influenced by the Impressionists, particularly Monet, whom he knew, and often worked in a more experimental manner at odds with his formal portraiture. His most famous portrait, 'Madame X,' caused a scandal at the Salon of 1884, causing him to move from Paris and permanently settle in London, where he painted society portraits to great acclaim. After 1910 he devoted himself to painting landscapes and murals, including commissions for the Boston Public Library and Museum of Fine Arts.

ID: 500023972

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