Evening star., 1923-02-01
The North Window
BY LEILA MECHLIN.

were put under oath to Mans the
greatest living American in 1s2a 1t
would be John Singer Sargent. This
10 extraordinary praise, A. 1t will be
noted that Mr.. Phelps did not say the
greatest living American artist In
other words, to his mind. Sargent
outranks poets. nevelists. musicians
and statesmen. Some will wonder
! why. Indeed. we ask ourselves. why
| this supreme rating? That Sargent
is great portrait painter all are
aware, but how great probably only
a few know.
BY the will Of the late Mr..
Wertheimer of London. eight por-
| traits by Sargent have lately. on the
death of the testator's widow. come
into the possession of the National
Gallery of London. and by the united
press Of England the value of the
bequest has with cne voice been pro-
claimed. In any exhibition Of CO.
temporary work held in any capital
city of the world the inclusion of a
coined. but constitutes distinction.
Mr. Sargent is one of the few cotem-
porary painters who have been in
vited to paint their own portraits for
the Italian National collection in
Florence. What Is more, the best OF
Mr. Sargent's portraits can be hung
with the portraits of the great Eng
lish school Of the eighteenth century
and hold their own without fear OF
comparison. For years the output OF
his studio was on an extremely high
level.
Mrs. Wharton, in her latest novel.
| which is being published serially Tin
Scribner's' Magazine). calls attention
| to the fact that the old salons were
like bad plays written around few
| stars" Sargent was one of these
| stars and he would be still IL he had
not ceased painting portraits and II
| his portraits had not become go val
| pensive to borrow. Those whose
memory goes back ten or twenty
years will recall the place that Sar-
gents portraits held and the impress
sion they made, hanging. an they
did then invariably. in the place OF
honor. 1t was worth taking long
| journey to see his triple portrait OF
ihree young Ensiishwomen - 1.-THE
Sisters" when It was first shown in
the Pennsylvania Academy in Phila-
delphia, or his great portrait of The
Doctors" painted for Johns Hopkins
Corcoran Gallery of Art. For years
the output of Mr.. Sargents studio
must have been enormous for with
out resort to printed lists one can
I summon visually long line of dis
tinguished works by this great artist
either In the original or through re-
production.
The Sargent exhibition held In the
Museum of Fine Arts. Boston. was a
distinct sensation. Everybody went
to see IL; nothing was so much talked
about the season in which II was
held. Included in this exhibition was
the portrait of the late John Hay
which later on for q time was loaned
to the Corcoran Gallery of Art and IL
Iingtoniaps. 1t is said that Mr.. Hay
being in Boston at the time the exhl-
bitlon was held, came face to face
with two young women on the street
and heard one buy. with gasping sur
prise. as though a ghost had appear,
tMr Sargent's portrait" So any one
ief US would feel II by chance we
met on Massa chusetts avenue living
personality known to US through
Interpretation. It IL this ability &c
present upon canvas. through the me-
dunn of paint. living personalities
THAT has given John Singer Sargent
supreme rank among the portrait
trainters Of today
! y + y
! But Mr. Sargent has stopped paint
I ing portraits, and more's the pity
unless, perchance. his brush has lost
its cunning. and this we doubt. Dur
ing the war. when a special reliei
fund was being raised In England
"A
canvas to be sold at auction to ths
highest bidder. with the understand
ling that he would paint thereon (
iportrait Of any one whom the pur'
sold for $50 600 to Sir High Lane, who
was later lost on the Lusitania. ant
with the rest of his collection becam,
1.-THE property of the National Caller,
iof Ireland in Dublin. whose director
by the way. is now in the Unitee
his pledge. Mr.. Sargent painted por
itrait Of ex-President. then President
Woodrow Wilson. This was after HI
lad issued his mandate that he woult
lpaint no more portraits. A man wht
icould obtain $4,000 for a portrai
night. and who gives up portrai
lpainting. may well be reckoned great
Perhaps this alone might sufficient.
Iexplain Mr.. Phelps high rating. Blu
. t.
IS not an exception to the rule among
artists; the best prize their art NOR
than dollars.
| Why did Mr.. Sargent give up por
trait painting? Because it had be
come mere slavery. At least this /!
| our guess. Probably no one who il
not a painter or closely associated
with painters realizes the tremendou!
| strain under which a painter of por'
\ traits labors. lie must please hii
client and his clients family friends
1 but. unless he chooses to give offense
! those who would employ him. HI
must work constantly In the presence
of others. He must. having attained
a high pinnacle Of renown. hewar'
chased, passes out of the artists pos
session. 1t may be exhibited wher'
1.-The owner wills and 1t may be crtti
| cized by whomsoever sees IT. There
is story to the effect that an irat'
the portrait he had painted of hi
wife was not good likeness, Il
which Mr.. Sargent replied that i
.would not matter hundred year.
thence whether 1t was good portrai
of the gentleman's wife or not. bu
and later. il 1t were not a good worl
of art. This probably did not meai
THAT Mr.. Sargent was indifferent t
pleasing his sitters or making like
Inesses but that he had reached tn
limit Of irritation at petty fault-find
ing.
| * y u "
It is this, in all probability. whicl
Induced Mr.. Sargent to renounce por
trait painting and to give himsel
linstsad to the painting Of Landscapes
and hgures-outdoor pictures i,
water color and in oils-in which
ibis ART might have free play ant