John Sargent - The Painting Knight
by Pierre N. Lowe
The painter John Singer Sargent was born to American parents in Florence, Italy, on January 12, 1856. His father, a prominent Philadelphia doctor, and his mother, an amateur painter, enjoyed travelling. Although John always considered himself an American, he did not visit the United States until he was 20 years old.
When Sargent was a boy, his mother took him along on her frequent sketching trips. As soon as he was old enough, he began drawing with her. By the time he was 12, his parents recognized that John had unusual talent, and he was given painting lessons.
In 1874 the Sargents moved to Paris, where John became a student in the studio of a local painter. Three years later, just after Sargent returned from his first trip to America, one of his pictures was accepted by the Salon-the official exhibition of the French Academy of Art. He received a Salon medal 4 years later, when he was only 25. After his Salon successes he visited the United States again.
Sargent was principally a portrait painter. He accepted a number of commissions and made a name for himself. But Sargent's fortunes took a brief downturn in 1884. In Paris his Portrait of Madame X was widely criticized, mainly because the low neckline of her dress was regarded as immodest. Sargent thought that the Parisians' attitude was petty, and he moved to London. Fortunately, English and American society were more anxious than ever to have Sargent paint portraits. After 1887 he became the most sought-after portraitist in London, Boston, and New York. King Edward VII of England offered to knight him in 1907, but Sargent refused. Accepting knighthood would have required his giving up American citizenship.
In 1910, at the height of his career, Sargent grew bored with portrait painting and began refusing commissions. He spent most of his time in London, painting landscapes in brilliant watercolours. He went to the United States several times and painted a number of murals in Boston.
On April 15, 1925, on the eve of a trip to the United States, Sargent died in London.
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