No art better exemplifies the Belle Époque than the lavish portraits of the rich, famous, and fashionable created by John Singer Sargent (1856–1925). The American-born artist lived most of his life in Europe and was in great demand on both sides of the Atlantic by subjects who wanted to be depicted as beautiful and grand. His portraits are characterized by loose, sensuous brushwork, rich colors, and astute psychological insights conveyed through facial features, hands, and posture.
He also created a unique body of watercolors that convey simply and with great economy of brush strokes the very essence of a place. He favored depicting back alleys and byways over grand boulevards, giving the viewer access to life beyond the tourist attractions and presenting a very different lifestyle than that enjoyed by his portrait subjects.
Art critic and adviser Judy Pomeranz presents an overview of Sargent’s work in the context of his time, as well as an examination of the stylistic and formal elements that set his work apart from that of his contemporaries and even successors.
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