John Singer Sargent (12 January 1856 – 14 April 1925) is an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury.
(Ormond, Richard: "Sargent's Art" in John Singer Sargent, page 25–7.
Tate Gallery, 1998) During his career, he creates 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 is trained in Paris prior to moving to London.
Sargent enjoys international acclaim as a portrait painter, though not without controversy and some critical reservation; an early submission to the Paris Salon, his "Portrait of Madame X", is intended to consolidate his position as a society painter, but it results in scandal instead.
From the beginning, his work is characterized by remarkable technical facility, particularly in his ability to draw with a brush, which in later years inspires admiration as well as criticism for a supposed superficiality.
His commissioned works are consistent with the grand manner of portraiture, while his informal studies and landscape paintings display a familiarity with Impressionism.
In later life, Sargent expresses ambivalence about the restrictions of formal portrait work, and devotes much of his energy to mural painting and working en plein air.
