I have been meaning for a while to talk about American artist John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925). There is a new exhibition currently at the MET in New York called "Sargent and Paris". He lived there from 1874 - 1884. Sargent is one of the most important American artists. Yet...his work has often been criticized as being too commercial with a painting technique to impress. He took portrait commissions from the rich and famous. And he was gay, too.
Be that as it may, Sargent's art introduced impressionism based on solid realism with a sense for experimentation. I am definitely a big admirer.
Probably my favorite Sargent painting "Smoke of Ambergris". What an unusual gesture for the woman to catch the perfumed smoke. Gorgeous!
