Evening star., 1962-08-12

The picture at the Corcor
far the better known Sar-
gent. 1t is q full-length,
full-dreSS portrait of Mrs.
Henry White, wife Of a young
American diplomat stationed
in London, where the por-
trait was painted in 1888.
John Singer Sargent, at 81,
was then at the beginning Of
his career and probably more
thoroughly trained in paint
ing than any American artist
before or since. The son of
Am eric ms who lived in
Europe, Sargent showed ex-
traordinary talent in early
childhood. His mother recog-
nt7ed his gifts, or at least
their possibility, and the boy
was encouraged. He COM
pleted his formal training in
the Paris studio of Carolus
Duran and at the Ecola des
Beaux-ArtS.
From Duran Sargent mas
tered a technique based on
Halls and Velazques. From his
earliest days as a young art
ist he painted with dash and
brilliance. a characteristic
that both won him q vast
public reputation in his life
time and a good deal of criti-
cal denigration since his
death in 1925.
The denigration is residual
Puritanism, the feeling being
that anything as glittering
as Sargent's best portraits
is probably the work of the
Evil One, and that any Job
OF work done with the ap-
parent ease Of execution of
Sargent is doubtless immoral.
Sargent as q Beginner
The portrait of Mrs. White,
besides it considerable inher-
ent virtue. is of interest in
the life Of the painter. A
year or so earlier, living in
Paris. the young Sargent had
caused a scandal with his
celebrated Portrait of Nine.
X" now in the Metropolitan
Museum. The sitter, Nine.
Pierre Gautreau, was an out
standing figure in fashion,
able Paris and her portrait,
it was felt, showed entirely
too much Of the figure she
was. Sargent moved on to
England and painted Mrs.
White in much more conven-
tional dress, q gorgeous white
gown magnificently treated
as an experience Of fabric.
The picture hung in the
Whites dining room, attract
ed wide and favorable COM
ment and, to some extent,
was the occasion for Sar-
gents great success as q Lon
don portrait painter.
Years later Mr.. White was
a member Of the Board Of
Trustees Of the Corcoran
and the portrait was given
the gallery in 1949 by the
family. It has been extern
sively cleaned recently. In
the process, X-ray photo
graphs revealed that the
painter tried a different po-
sition for the head and q
whole series Of alternate po-
sitions for the fan. Mrs.
White comes through as a
b e autiful woman, with
strength Of character and
great composure.
The Venice Scene
How different the little
Venice scene at the Ma
tional. with Signorina K 60
ing about her lonely busi-
ness. Your eye moves in
zig-zag into the picture: from
the girl back right to the
two men, back left to a self
contained group Of takers,
back right to the front
Of q house at which
the perspective ends. Side
lighting, from barely indi-
Gated alleys, creates a very
subtle grid through which the
zig-Zag travels.
To the romantically in
clined, the picture can cas-
lily represent the sense Of
evil so many Northerners-
notably Thomas Mann-have
found in Venice. This effect
derives not so much from the
assumption that the girl is
a prostitute as from the gen.
eral casualness Of everyone
involved and from the curl
GUS Venetian light, moist
and silver, that Sargent does
so well.
Another White family is
involved with the Venice pic
ture. It was owned for years
by the artists friend, STAN
ford White. the architect and
bon vivant. It has been
bought from the White fam
lily with funds from the Ava
lon Foundation.
D 4