John Singer Sargent
By Loulou Voelkel
Early Life
I was born an American in Florence, Italy on January 12, 1856. I traveled all over Europe but never moved to America until I was 20.
I always thought of myself as an American I was even asked to become a knight for king Edward VII of England, I turned it down politely because I didn't want to give up being a citizen of America.
About My Work
People say I make painting look easy but it's not, especially when they keep changing their minds. Like Madame X and her mother.Madame X really didn't like this portrait and that's how it got its name. Madame X is shown in the picture below (the strap was falling off her shoulder originally).
Achievements
In 1876 my paintings were shown in the Salon a huge exhibition that is held in Paris every year in the nineteenth century. In 1890 I started the painting in the Boston Public Library the huge one on the ceiling yup that's mine. In 1918 I went to a French battlefield and painted Gassed. I made portraits of many famous people like President Teddy Roosevelt. I never was good at painting things and stuff as you people might call it, so I stuck to portraits.
Changing Pictures
One of my portraits was of Mrs. Isaac and her Great Dane. Her husband wanted to be in it too, so I had to switch her dog for a hat and put her husband in the back.
After life
I died in London 1925 and when I did I was on the front page in the paper. In the British news they called me a great British painter. The American news called me a great American painter I guess I was both.
Art Work Today
Today some of my art work can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Tate Gallery in London where you can find a painting on which I spent lots and lots of nights because the lighting had to be just right.
Works Cited
source for map of Italy: http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/media?id=mp000105&st=florence
source for Madame X: http://en.wikipedia.org
source for John Singer Sargent portrait: http://www.artble.com
source for for met picture : http://www.huffingtonpost.com
source for Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes: http://www.museumsyndicate.com/item.php?item=8384
source for Gassed: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/13/gassed-john-singer-sargent
source for Madame X: http://en.wikipedia.org
source for John Singer Sargent portrait: http://www.artble.com
source for for met picture : http://www.huffingtonpost.com
source for Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes: http://www.museumsyndicate.com/item.php?item=8384
source for Gassed: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/13/gassed-john-singer-sargent