The paper I gave at the Sargentology Conference presents a brief survey, review and comment upon fictional stories and novels
in which Sargent figures as a character, in either a major or minor role,
including his role in my own novels. Issues discussed include: how far
story-telling can outrun fact and still be plausible, interesting and even
informative; what the imagination adds to our understanding of the facts of
Sargent’s actual life; how an author creates the psychological “truth” of a
person whose mind and thoughts cannot be known or tapped into; what human
depths can be explored in regard to Sargent’s paintings and portraits by
imagining the scenes or interactions that are captured in the paint. These and
other questions will be addressed, using illustrations from various novels,
short stories, a play, and the influence of Sargent’s paintings on the written
work. If you would like to read this paper, please send me your email in a comment below and I can send you an email copy.
