Arts & Culture

John Singer Sargent at the Tate Britain exhibition

Much of the magic of a John Singer Sargent painting resides in the subject’s clothing. From aristocrats in extravagant ruffles to actors swathed in glittering beading, the 19th-century artist would painstakingly put together the outfits worn in his portraits.

“Sargent would intervene in a way that was much like a stylist or an artistic director,” says James Finch, the curator of a new exhibition at Tate Britain exploring the artist’s engagement with fashion. “Perhaps the lining, which would normally be concealed, became more prominent, or sometimes he would take pieces of fabric and drape them around the sitter.”

preview for Harper's Bazaar, 'Women In Art'

Indeed, in the middle of working on Lady Helen Vincent, Viscountess d’Abernon, a sultry image of the socialite and diarist, Sargent decided to repaint her dress so that it would be black instead of white; and for his depiction of W Graham Robertson, he insisted the author and artist wore a dark-grey Chesterfield coat wrapped tightly around him, despite it being the height of summer. “The painting is all vertical lines and Robertson’s silhouette is extremely narrow. He looks like the epitome of the dandy,” Finch observes.

Often, Sargent’s creative choices supplanted the social codes of the time – as was the case with his famous work Madame X, which caused a stir at the 1884 Paris Salon by showing the socialite Virginie Amélie Gautreau wearing a black gown with a plunging neckline. He had originally taken the image further, painting one diamond strap seductively falling from her shoulder, but the revised portrait was still scandalous enough to prompt his move to London.

john singer sargent, lady helen vincent, viscountess d'abernon, 1904

Via Tate

John Singer Sargent, Lady Helen Vincent, Viscountess d’Abernon, 1904

These portraits are among more than 60 that are on display as part of Sargent and Fashion, several of which appear alongside the real life garments they depict, as well as photographs, drawings and accounts from Sargent’s sitters. Lady Sassoon and the original black taffeta opera cloak with pink lining worn in the image open the show, illustrating how Sargent pinned and tucked fabrics to conjure a sense of theatre and fantasy.

mrs hugh hammersley, 1892 artwork location metropolitan museum of art, new york, usa permission for usage must be provided in writing from scala

Sargent, John Singer (1856-1925)

John Singer Sargent, Mrs. Hugh Hammersley, 1892

The element of drama that is crucial to his vision reflects his penchant for performance. “He was someone who regularly attended concerts and theatrical events, and his greatest work emerged from that engagement with the arts,” says Finch, citing Sargent’s portrayals of the contemporary actress Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth and the Spanish dancer Carmen Dauset Moreno, also known as La Carmencita. The garments worn in both paintings are some of the most striking from the artist’s repertoire: the former subject wears an iridescent green-and-blue costume adorned with beetle wings, while the latter is seen in a dazzling daffodil-yellow ensemble – both of which will be in the exhibit.

Nevertheless, as Finch points out, it is Sargent who brings these garments to vivid life. “What makes him so compelling is his ability to extract the maximum aesthetic impact from whichever clothes he selected,” he says. “It’s a matter of attitude.”

‘Sargent and Fashion’ is at Tate Britain until 7 July.


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