The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-07-22
TUESDAY MORNING, JULY 22.
Americas Most Famous Portrait
Painter.
Correspondence Of the Press.l

Correspondence Of the Press1
New YORK, July 21.-A portrait paint
er who can pick up $4,000 in four
months by the skillful welding of his
brush might reasonably be called sue
cessful. To put it otherwise, John Sar-
gent might be styled a successful artist.
To put it in still another form, and as it
really is, John Sargent is the most IA
nous American portrait painter.
Mr.. Sargent is one of the few Ameri-
can disciples of portraiture-the only
one, SO far as / know, who can COM
mand s., 900 for single portrait. That
he can command these remunerative
prices for his work, and that he has no
trouble in getting all the work he wants,
is shown by the fact that, as intimated
above, he poclEeted $4,000 as the fruit
of fonr months jaunt over to his ma
tive country couple of years or so ago.
His reputation ON this side of the water
is of the best, and he could coin money
were he to live here, but somehow
Mr.. Sargent prefers London, and has
all but become an Englishman. He gen
orally runs over here in the summer,
paints few s., 900 portraits in order to
pay his travelling expenses, and then HES
himself Britainward. He was over here
in New York on one of his periodical
pilgrimages few weeks ago, and welded
his brush at dollar or SO a stroke in his
studio on Twenty-third street. I saw
him one evening at an artists gathering.
He is not of particularly striking appear
ance, but the refinement of his manner
cannot fail to impress any one who meets
him.
In stature he is neither tall nor short.
Apparently he has yet to pass to the
shady side of forty years. His full
brown beard is fashionably trimmed,
and about it and the face there is some
thing that suggests the artist. The
famous artist does not go out in society
a great deal on this side of the water,
though he would be welcomed every
where were he so disposed. In Paris
and London he has the entree in the
most exclusive circles, and is a social
lion in his quiet way.
Carolus Duran, probably the greatest
living French portrait painter, was his
master, and there are not a few connois-
seurs who hold that the pupil has sur
passed the master Duran and Sargent
continued their friendship which grew
out of their associations in the formers
studio for many years after the pupil
had branched out for himself, and the
best portrait of the great French master
extant was painted by the great Amer
lean master. Something caused trouble
between them, though, and they are
not now on speaking terms.
Sargent's work in some respects re-
sembles that of the world famous Span
lard, Velasquez, and it is said that the in
fuence of Columbus countryman is dis
tinctly traceable in the $1,000 works of
the native of the country which Column
bus rescued from oblivion. Be that as
it may, Sargent has painted portraits of
some of the wealthiest Americans, in
GLIDING the wife of the late William II.
Vanderbilt, and the galleries of most Of
the millionaire art patrons of America
have specimens of his work. One of his
latest American works is the much
talked Of portrait of the sprightly Car
mencita of terpsichorean fame.
E. p.