Masterworks by John Singer Sargent
The artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) defied labels. A man who lived more than half his life in England, but always considered himself American, he was the go-to portrait painter of his day, but eventually lost interest in the grand paintings that made his name, preferring informal renderings of people he liked.
Singer's extraordinary paintings and sketches were featured in a recent exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, "John Singer Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends."
Pictured: Sargent's Impressionistic "An Out-of-Doors Study" (1889), featuring artist Paul Helleu with his wife, Alice. Oil on canvas.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan
"Self Portrait"
"Self-Portrait," 1906, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
John Singer Sargent was born in 1856 in Florence, Italy, to American parents, and he spent his early childhood growing up in Europe.
"He grows up in a really kind of cultured world," said Stephanie Herdrich, co-curator of the Met's show. "[He's] exposed to many different cities, towns, museums. He grows up to be fluent in English, Spanish, French, Italian. He speaks German. He's a very talented musician in his own right, playing the piano."
"Dr. Pozzi at Home"
Pictured: "Dr. Pozzi at Home" (1881), Sargent's portrait of the Parisian gynecologist and playboy. Oil on canvas.
Sargent cultivated commissions from the rich and famous of the Gilded Age, and became famous himself for his luscious, flattering, society portraits, which is exactly what critics often held against him.
"For a very long time he was defined by his commissioned works, and he was defined by the people he painted. And I think that was very unfair," said co-curator Betsy Kornhauser, who believes the artist's reputation is undergoing a radical re-evaluation.
"John Singer Sargent, beyond being the most talented and celebrated portrait painter of his day, I think looking back in time, we could say that he was one of the greatest artists of all time," she said.
Carolus-Duran
"Carolus-Duran," 1879, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
An artist who was highly influential as Sargent's teacher in Paris, Carolus-Duran also produced portraits of society figures.
Paul Helleu
Sargent didn't feel the need to flatter in his intimate portraits. "He could go deeper and pull out really profound character traits and very often reveal his feelings about the person," said Kornhauser.
Pictured: "Paul Helleu," early 1880s, by John Singer Sargent. Graphite on off-white paper board.
Pailleron Children
"Pailleron Children," 1880, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
Sargent's first double-portrait was of Eduoard and Marie-Louise Pailleron, children of playwright Eduoard Pailleron. The young girl later said she endured 83 sittings to produce the intense, ambiguous portrait.
Vernon Lee
"Vernon Lee," 1881, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
Writer, art historian, feminist and pacifist Violet Paget, who went by the pen name Vernon Lee. A deeply private person, she objected to her publisher using either photographs or this Sargent portrait to illustrate her publications.
"Madame X"
Her name was Virginie Gautreau, a New Orleans-born Parisian socialite. But Sargent's suggestive portrait of her as "Madame X" created a scandal.
"In the original version, he accentuated her sensuality even more by dropping the strap off her right shoulder," said co-curator Betsy Kornhauser told CBS News' Martha Teichner.
"He decided to paint it back, and he would keep the painting for the rest of his life until he finally offered it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art."
"Madame X"
"Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)," 1883-84, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
In 1907, Sargent stated that he felt it was his finest work.
"Garden Study of the Vickers Children"
"Garden Study of the Vickers Children," 1884, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
Sargent tilted the view of this portrait downwards, with a scale that shows lilies exceedingly tall compared to Billy and Dorothy, ages five and six.
"Robert Louis Stevenson and His Wife"
"Robert Louis Stevenson and His Wife," 1885, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
This eccentric portrait, painted at the novelist's house in Bournemouth, Dorset, presents Stevenson in a manner characteristic to him - walking and talking - while his wife, Fanny, is pictured on the periphery. Stevenson described his wife "looking like a ghost" in the finished work. "All this is touched in lovely, with that witty touch of Sargent's; but of course it looks dam queer as a whole."
"Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose"
"Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" (1885-86) by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
French artists heavily influenced Sargent's vision of children lighting paper lanterns, though the setting also recalled English Pre-Raphaelite artworks.
Claude Monet
"Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood," 1885, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
This painting shows the French Impressionist, whom Sargent revered, seated on his artist's stool in the open air, working on a painting (Meadow With Haystacks Near Giverny) that is now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. "It's a pure Impressionist palette," said Kornhauser. "And this was precisely what Sargent was attempting to absorb and embrace at this time."
"The Birthday Party"
"The Birthday Party," 1887, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
French artists Albert Besnard and his wife, sculptor Charlotte Dubray, celebrate the birthday of their child, Robert. The Oriental decorations of their room are accentuated by the highlights from the candles.
"Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth"
"Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth," 1889, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
The acclaimed actress is portrayed in a pose she did not actually perform in Henry Irving's production of the Scottish Play, but which captured her magnificent air.
"La Carmencita"
"La Carmencita," c. 1890, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
A theatrical portrait of the famed Spanish dancer. Not surprisingly, La Carmencita was a restless portrait subject. Sargent did sketches of her expressing the movement of dance, but chose to portray her stationary - hand on hip, with one leg extended, her face like a Japanese mask.
Edwin Booth
"Edwin Booth," 1890, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
A dramatically-lit portrait of the renowned Shakespearean actor, gazing hauntingly in a pose reminiscent of his stage performances. Booth initially disparaged of his appearance, prompting Sargent to paint out the head and start over.
Ada Rehan
"Ada Rehan," 1894-95, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
Sargent's portrait of the Irish-born actress captures her stage presence and physical beauty.
Mrs George Batten
"Mrs. George Batten," 1897, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
An amateur mezzo-soprano and musician, Batten lived life to the fullest - one observer noted she was "gay, fond of pleasure, quite depraved, but tinged too with romance."
"An Interior in Venice"
"An Interior in Venice (The Curtis Family)," 1899, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
Ex-pats in Venice: Boston-born David Sargent Curtis (a distant cousin of Sargent), and his wife, Ariana, are pictured in their 17th century Palazzo Barbaro, which was frequented by such visitors as Henry James and Claude Monet. In the background are Curtis' son and Sargent's friend, Ralph Wormley Curtis, and his wife, Lisa de Wolfe Colt Curtis.
Ariana Curtis turned down the painting when Sargent offered it as a gift; her son's relaxed pose and her own flushed complexion offended her sense of decorum.
"Group with Parasols"
"Group with Parasols," c. 1904-05, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
Four of the artists's friends are pictured taking a siesta in an Alpine meadow.
The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy
"The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy," 1907, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
Artist Jane de Glehn works under the watchful eye of her husband and fellow artist, Wilfred de Glehn. Sargent asked Wilfred to introduce an air of indolence in the intimate setting, which draws the two artists together.
William Butler Yeats
"W.B. Yeats," 1908, by John Singer Sargent. Charcoal on paper.
A commissioned drawing, for use in a collection of the poet's works published in 1908.
"In the Generalife"
"In the Generalife," 1912, by John Singer Sargent. Watercolor, wax crayon, and graphite on white wove paper.
Sargent painted his sister, Emily, sketching at the Moorish gardens of Granada, Spain, accompanied by friends Jane de Glehn and Dolores.
Emily's features are blurred, unlike those of her two watchful companions, suggesting her own movement and (as one viewer noted) "the throbbing sense of life."
Henry James
"Henry James," 1913, by John Singer Sargent. Oil on canvas.
A portrait commissioned in honor of the author's 70th birthday. It came at a time when Sargent had halted painting portraits, yet the image of his friend carries an air of the enigmatic.
James was pleased: "Sargent at his very best and poor old H.J. not at his worst; in short, a living breathing likeness and a masterpiece of painting" was his summation.
For more info:
"Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (now closed)
Exhibition catalogue: "Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends" by Richard Ormond and Elaine Kilmurray