A great deal of mystery surrounds the lifeworks of American portraitist John Singer Sargent. He painted during an era in which portraiture was not considered a high art form; instead it was seen as merely a means of providing aristocrats with their likenesses. Critics claim that Sargent simply sought to meet this need with his portraiture, in essence, that he painted is subjects without personality or depth of character. However, in many of Sargent’s commissioned paintings of adults, he reveals character as seen by society. In many cases, he represents the subject’s social-self, the image that he/she wishes to put forth in order to properly fit into society, which is very telling of character. In spite of the initial mystery of Sargent’s adult portraits, Sargent actually transformed 19th century portraiture from a merely physical representation of the sitter to one of emotional intensity.
Most evident of the depth of character revealed in Sargent’s portraits are his many paintings of children. Sargent had more freedom when painting children because of the nature of child portraiture. Generally, parents had an artist paint a portrait of their sons or daughters as a trial run before allowing him to paint themselves. Therefore, Sargent had less pressure to aesthetically please his sitter. Also, children are much freer with themselves and therefore are not yet molded into society’s expectations.
Sargent differed from his contemporaries in his paintings of children because he did not represent them as mindless, innocent cherubs. Instead he allowed them to portray intelligence and a distinct sense of character. Many of the children in his paintings gaze boldly at the viewer, rather than shy away in a manner that many adults would expect from children. This willingness to allow his child sitters an identity may be connected to the nature of Sargent’s own childhood.
Sargent’s youth was one of tragedy and uncertainty. Because of the many illnesses in Sargent’s immediate family, they were forced to move constantly in order to receive treatment. This nomadic lifestyle did not allow the Sargent children to ever have a permanent home or make lasting friendships. This resulted in a very reclusive and private adult Sargent. Little is known about his own character which is reflected in his more mysterious paintings of adults. His portraits of children echo the early maturity that Sargent was forced to acquire.
Sargent was adept at portraying both individual character and social position in his portraits. His commissioned adult portraits present character mysteriously, and one must look through a veil of fashion and social boundaries in order to plumb the inner emotional depths. Primarily, these portraits are representations of the subjects’ social selves, the manner in which they express themselves in society. In contrast with the adult portraits are Sargent’s representations of children. While to a certain extent the adults hide behind social restraints, children are free to express themselves, and therefore Sargent was able to express the true child. Perhaps as a result of his own premature intelligence from his unsettled childhood, he painted intelligence and identity into children rather than the harmless purity so often applied by his contemporaries. Sargent used realistic images and expressions to produce portraits that simultaneously established social position, aesthetic comfort, and depth of character.
Prompts:
- Do you agree that Sargent effectively expresses character and identity in his portraits? What do you feel is the biggest difference between his portraits of adults versus those of children?
- Do you feel that Sargent accurately portrays the character of children in his portraits or does he exaggerate their degree of intelligence? Explain.
- Sargent titles many of his portraits by the name of his subject(s). Choose several of Sargent’s portraits that you believe reveal character and suggest a new title that is more descriptive. Explain your choice.
- Little is known about Sargent’s personal identity. Choose one of his paintings and write a narrative of the events that took place between Sargent and the subject(s) before, during, and after the painting of the portrait.
Self Portrait, 1907
Dorothy, 1900
Caspar Goodrich, 1887
