Humanities 262 post #2

Madame X: James Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent’s portrait “Madame X” fascinates me. It’s such a social no-no for the 1800’s – in fact, it humiliated the subject and essentially ended the career of the painter. By today’s standards, it would hardly be considered risqué, but back in the day it certainly was: the sexually charged pose, the deep neckline, and the haughty aloofness were far too revealing for a lady. Originally, it was even more offensive – in the final version, he repainted her right shoulder strap so that it sat where it belonged, rather than slipped down her arm, as it was in earlier drafts. Not only was the portrait considered offensive, but the title did nothing to preserve the anonymity of the sitter: everyone who saw the portrait on display at the Paris Salon recognized the fashionable American expatriate Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau.

*Note the shoulder strap

Although I’m interested by the social implications of the portrait, I feel most compelled by the dynamic energy exuding from Mme. Gautreau. She is confident, sexual, comfortable, aloof, and determined. Everything about her posture, from her long neck to the way her right arm extends, implies that she is a woman who can fend for herself. The brashness of her confidence is almost overwhelming, especially for a woman of the 1800s. The facts of her life up to that time – she was an American expat climbing rapidly up through the social sphere of Paris – indicate the kind of confidence that she displays in this portrait.

However, confidence isn’t the only energy coming from the portrait. There is a different, more subtle variety of that aura that comes primarily from her face: the slightly arched eyebrows, the staring eyes, and the totally relaxed lips. As Wikipedia tells it, “Gautreau was bored by the process of sitting.” In short, she accepted his request to paint her portrait, but tired of it quickly. I love that that aspect of her personality rises through the brushstrokes: it’s beautiful.

As a theatre student, I’ve learned to search for emotions in others, because that is how I connect on stage and in analysis. I love being able to connect in that way with art other than theatre. Every time I do, I learn a little bit more about the power of any kind of art to portray humans for what we really are underneath our socially acceptable facades: deeply emotional beings with living, interactive energies that affect everyone around us.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Madame_X

American Art: A Cultural History by David Bjelejac