Kemo Studios

John Singer Sargent 1856-1925

Self Portrait 1906

Since I'm no longer in school, I will not be writing a long, boring report  about John Singer Sargent.  I find that most people don't like to reading anymore because it takes up to much of their time, when they could be spending those precious minutes watching TikTok videos and other important Social media nonsense.. SO, I'll try to keep it quick and easily digestible.

• Sargent was born in Florence, Italy January 12, 1856 

• He was educated in Paris, France in the 1880's and lived most of his life in London, England and traveled the world extensively producing over 900 oil paintings, over 2000 watercolors along with countless sketches and charcoal  drawings.

•Considered to be the "leading portrait painter of his generation" specializing in Edwardian style luxury 

Lady With A Rose 1882

• He had a critical triumph at the Paris Salon of 1882 with his painting  Lady with a Rose (Charlotte Louise Burkhardt)

• Then, in 1884 he sent only one painting to the Paris Salon, his notorious Madame X. It was a portrait of the young socialite Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau, who was 25 at the time....and it caused such an uproar that it put his Parisian career in jeopardy.

 

This is without question my favorite painting of his, and the subject of this silly post. I've had the pleasure of seeing it multiple times at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, leaving me dumbfounded...absolutely speechless. It is incredible on so many levels. I wish I could sit here and drone on poetically like a pretentious art critic, but I can't. All I can say is- it's a fucking masterpiece and has to be seen in person. I can only imagine the impact it must have had in 1884 at the Paris Salon...BUT this wasn't the version of the painting they saw.

Madame X 1884 - New York Metropolitan Museum of Art

(Photograph of the original painting of Madame X that was displayed at the 1884 Paris Salon)

THIS is the version of the painting that everyone saw at the Paris Salon, and it caused such an uproar that it almost destroyed Sargent's career as the preeminent portrait painter of his time. Imagine the audacity of Sargent to position Madame Gautreau in such 'a haughty pose' staring indifferently to the left, and wearing a black velvet dress with deep décolletage with the right strap dangling precariously off the shoulder. He had it framed in an ornate multileveled gilded frame which featured a busy design of overlapping leaves and cross straps which complemented the painting beautifully without over powering it. Once framed, he varnished it and named it: Madame X (the polite gesture to keep a respectable woman's name out of notices and reviews) and delivered it to the Salon. He didn't seem concerned because of all his previous awards, guaranteed the painting would be accepted for display.

So once the painting was delivered, he left for holiday to London and spent time with the Pre-Ralphelite Brotherhood while he accepted commissions. Unfortunately most subjects of those commissions, were artistically uninspiring and not like the rich, beautiful and brilliant clients he had in Paris.  He returned to Paris on April 29, just in time for 'insiders' would get a chance for a first look at the exhibition...little did he know, the 'shit was about to hit the fan.' 

In all his years of showing at the Salon he never had a bad experience...until now. Times were-a-changing, and the religious leaders in France had begun to publicly denounce the rampant immorality and pervasive decadence of Paris. This painting became the lightning rod for the new morality trying to gain a foothold in Paris at the time.

Needless to say, Salon attendees were shocked and deeply offended...insert 'laughing emoji' here.... remember, there's a BIG difference between acceptance and accolade.

"She looked monstrous and decomposed. The painting was indecent. Her bare white shoulders and décolletage, without a breast in site disgusted them. And that fallen strap! Was it a prelude to or the aftermath of sex? The fact that she was looking away from her audience made her appear blithely indifferent to her dishabille and called attention to her shamelessness."  

(Photograph of the original painting of Madame X and photoshop recreation by Mike Pieczonka)

Almost all the reviews about this painting said the same thing damaging both Sargent's and Gautreau's reputations in Paris society. Once the Salon ended, the painting was returned to Sargent where he was free to do with it what he wanted free from any outside pressures and because Gautreau wanted nothing to do with it while she focused on repairing her reputation.

Here's a photograph of the modified  painting of Madame X in Sargent's studio where it stayed until 1916, when he sold it for $1000.00 to The Met.

FANTASTIC book about John Singer Sargent and Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau. I highly recommend it if you want to learn the whole story.

Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau-1878

 

Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau

The following are various Studies and Sketches for the Madame X Painting.

Next time you're in New York, make sure to visit the Met, Gallery 771 in the American Wing, and see this painting for yourself. TRUST ME...you won't be disappointed.