Art is the Solution

Mrs. Carl Meyer and Her Children Source: Tate Museum There are few American artists more famous than John Singer Sargent, even though he didn’t spend much of his life in America. Famous (or, more accurately, infamous) for his Portrait of Madame X , Sargent is best known as a portrait artist, which is why I’m going to be talking about his Portrait of Mrs. Carl Meyer and Her Children , which is one of my favorite Sargent portraits. As the title suggests, the painting depicts society matron Adèle Meyer with her two children, Elsie and Frank. The family was affiliated with the Rothschilds’ banking business and the De Beers diamond company, making them tremendously wealthy and influential. Sargent’s creation is an opulent and elegant portrait. The three sitters pose around a gilded sofa; all are richly dressed in silks and lace. While these aspects of the painting are fairly straightforward; Sargent’s compositional choices make it an unusually dramatic and engaging portrait. Sargent painted...

El Jaleo Source: Wikimedia Commons John Singer Sargent is perhaps the most well-known American painter in the history of Western Art. Famous (or, more accurately, infamous) for his Portrait of Madame X , Sargent is best known as a portrait artist, although he executed many other notable paintings throughout his career. Painted early in his career, El Jaleo is one of his most significant paintings. The piece was executed after Sargent traveled to Spain and portrays a young woman engaged in a traditional dance. The painting is remarkable for its extraordinary originality and palpable energy. The dancer dominates most of the composition; with her arms outstretched and her shadow flickering across the wall, she seems to fill the canvas. In the background, musicians provide the accompanying music while other dancers clap and wave their arms in time to the rhythm. The painting is executed with wonderful freedom. While it is clearly the product of careful thought and consideration, it ...