John Singer Sargent 1856 to 1925 painted beautiful women.

In order to do so he painted with  that passion a man might feel when he regards  absolute feminine beauty for the first time. Of such passion was this beautiful painting borne.

Sargent was a naturlly born Italian of American parentage. he is however regarded largely as an American artist and the  most successful portrait painter of his era and one of the best of all time.

In the very conservative art world of the time he was nkown as the Modern Van Dyke and spoken of in terms usually reserved for Gainsborough.

Yet he was a much more prolific watercolourist and landscape painter, a genre he returned to at the end of his carreer, than he was a portraitist.

It is however for his spectacular portraits that he best remembered.

In a time when Portraiture was at its peak with with such artists as Sir Frank Dixie, Sir John Collier and the like., John Singer Sargent surmounted them all and with his portarit known as Madame X  he became immediately controversial for the erotic content of that painting. It was in fact banned shortly after it was painted  from public exhibition in certain quarters  such was the furor it caused with its sensuality.

Not such the painting of Gertrude Vernon Agnew shown here, which in many ways has much more sensuality about it than any other portrait I have seen.

It is in my veiw the finest British portrait and the unsung 'Mona Lisa'of its day.

Emmediatley sensual as the striking direct gaze of this beautiful young woman takes hold of observers mind and directs it towards her beauty.

She was the young wife of Andrew Noel Agnew  and aged 27 when the portrait was painted, Sargent was 36 and saw immediately that a painting of her was essential to the satisfaction of his talent. It is clear from his treatment of her delicate loveliness that he was enthralled by her. The gentle way he presents the folds of her sweeping gown and the lilac silken sash suggests this passionate rendition was a labour of endearment rather than that of a mere technical artist.Just see how he presented the long throat of the woman sweeping down to squared shoulders hidden almost imperceptably beneath the soft chiffon at the bodice of her dress.

Her long aristocratic nose and the bright scarlet slash of her lips serve to accentuate the beauty he saw.

There are but three things that make the portrait for me.

Those eyes, dare I say with deep respect 'the perfect bedroom eyes in any portrait of a woman'.

The way he lets the cameo at her throat dangle to good effect on her bodice just screams femininity

And finally the way Sargent has captured the relaxed informal pose with his treatment of her left hand resting lightly on the lower arm of the parlour chair.

How delicate is that hand? What a beauty she is?

And what a portrait made even more amazing when one considers Sargent didnt do any preliminary sketching what soever. Pure Alla Prima method, direct onto canvas with a loaded brush.

Such was Sargents skill, such was his passion, such was his eye for beauty.

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