Painting of the Day

Madame X by John Singer Sargent. 1884

Throughout his career, Sargent completed over 900 paintings and thousands of watercolors and drawings. The painting of the day is John Singer Sargent's portrait of Madame X (Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau) 1884. Madame Gautreau was an American socialite living in Paris who would be comparable to being the Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian of her time. Madame Gautreau was married to a French banker named Pierre Gautreau and was of creole blood.

The painting of Madame X nearly destroyed the reputation of Sargent, who was establishing his career as a portraitist of great renown. Sargent was able to capture the essence of his sitters through his use of color and chiaroscuro that he learned in the atelier of Carolus-Duran.

The scandal regarding the painting was due to his portrayal of Madame Gautreau in profile. The dark dress conforms to her statuesque flesh and stature. Originally, Sargent had painted the dress with the right shoulder strap off her shoulder. Following the scandalous reception of the painting, Madame Gautreau was humilated and Sargent departed to London.

For a quick video regarding Madame X click here.