tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66566551205590409242024-03-09T18:45:56.691-08:00Portraits of an ArtistA Novel about John Singer Sargent
mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-82044775462576985462018-02-07T16:01:00.001-08:002018-02-07T16:01:22.219-08:00Paintings Described in my Novel<span style="color: #005000; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In writing a novel about John Singer Sargent, naturally one must include references to many of his paintings, and in my book, there are more than a dozen that are described at length or referred to in passing. The "portraits" who tell the story are, of course, illustrated by the actual images Sargent painted of them, but I thought I would use this space to fill out the Gallery, so to speak, of the characters and persons that make up my novel. I hope you enjoy seeing them along with a quote from my novel for context (page references in parentheses) This is the first installment of probably four posts on this subject.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br /></span><span style="color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS;">El Jaleo or The Gypsy Dancer (p. 34)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i>In front of the enormous painting--it was nearly eight feet high and eleven feet long--a middle-aged, somewhat portly man, with the air of a professor or lecturer, was pointing at the canvas with no little indignation. "Is this art?" he said. "These low types of men and women, sitting in the background against a dirty wall, their mouths open, heads flung back yowling with the degraded music that, no doubt, has sent this gypsy woman into contortions that no living woman could actually replicate!"</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The Gondolier (p. 61-62)</span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Violet...approached another canvas, somewhat obscured by a scarf thrown at hazard across it, which she drew back. A young, mustachioed man gazed out with frank, dark eyes, his full lips sensual, the dark curls of his hair falling across his forehead from under a wide-brimmed hat. His brown coat had slipped off one shoulder slightly, revealing a strong, smooth neck and collarbone under a gauzy white collarless shirt.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><i>[The painting] depicted a narrow alley with crumbling, exposed brick and plaster walls--what isn't crumbling, in Venice? I thought--the perspective sharply slanted as the two walls and the pavement raced to the very center of the far back of the painting, where a reach of hazy afternoon sunlight whitened a wall with windows and trellises overflowing with plants. A dark doorway was set into the right half of the alley wall, and a woman in a black, fringed shawl and a full, frilly, pinkish lavender skirt, stood nonchalant, one arm crooked with her hand on her hip, one foot resting on the doorstep, as if hesitating at the moment of entering.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-41868828340826982042016-06-02T12:02:00.003-07:002016-06-02T12:02:50.379-07:00John Singer Sargent as a Fictional Character<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2WkbM5TXsQsnsfGkHdEFBQS1JzsiWXubSgs09_XxN5yJPLG0fJ7QzcE4AVm9pJSV8pRQvlXpz5LpXXFA9VcGNKz2My_FJcqE7y1aLsR-Gk8EMbfmwMuxxenOPqI3tCncp385-j5Ssa38/s1600/Photo+JSS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2WkbM5TXsQsnsfGkHdEFBQS1JzsiWXubSgs09_XxN5yJPLG0fJ7QzcE4AVm9pJSV8pRQvlXpz5LpXXFA9VcGNKz2My_FJcqE7y1aLsR-Gk8EMbfmwMuxxenOPqI3tCncp385-j5Ssa38/s320/Photo+JSS.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The paper I gave at the Sargentology Conference presents<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 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. <span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">If you would like to read this paper,</span> please send me your email in a comment below and I can send you an email copy.</span></span>mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-79976681459427531432016-05-09T17:30:00.001-07:002016-05-09T17:30:15.720-07:00Sargentology Conference was fantastic!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcXKBpKLZEPiXyXlT1Pe8ZlkPmPCOJo-RRbIcx36MS07GvC_wCIQBbtZpDjzAsOfVEfgecbYRCOexRDWFtotWFxq8S1jxg3voH_N6nlLlcrXfbL5_kgJOCyiu4IsRand9Lj5JOLtjLMlu/s1600/IMG_1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcXKBpKLZEPiXyXlT1Pe8ZlkPmPCOJo-RRbIcx36MS07GvC_wCIQBbtZpDjzAsOfVEfgecbYRCOexRDWFtotWFxq8S1jxg3voH_N6nlLlcrXfbL5_kgJOCyiu4IsRand9Lj5JOLtjLMlu/s320/IMG_1001.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdID-uDOGpPTLemVF1PwhbxYeobkydjbU7-V3Lb01XS_etqDMv6nnFXcczjqMfTHZx3cRIrbrTHcagqG5fLxRdqA7tZzMzUDe8O4dVwwfJf0c4O1oihH6AJTxUKDCQdy47UAt3UZgMIvqW/s1600/IMG_1012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdID-uDOGpPTLemVF1PwhbxYeobkydjbU7-V3Lb01XS_etqDMv6nnFXcczjqMfTHZx3cRIrbrTHcagqG5fLxRdqA7tZzMzUDe8O4dVwwfJf0c4O1oihH6AJTxUKDCQdy47UAt3UZgMIvqW/s320/IMG_1012.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The first ever Sargentology Conference was held at the University of York, at King's Manor, (left) a centuries-old building that is used for conferences as well as for academic pursuits. Some forty attendees from universities and museums throughout Europe and North America gathered to share and discuss "new perspectives" of John Singer Sargent and his art. My talk on Sargent as a Fictional Character was part of the "Sargent and Literature" panel. There were other presentations and panels which explored his music, the way he painted, the materials available to him, and various other interesting aspects of his life and art. We all met for dinner at Gray's Court Inn (right) where we dined in style and with scintillating conversations. I'll write more soon about the presentations, but here for now are some photos of the wondrous, magical City of York.</span><br />
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<br />mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-70822060715892611602016-02-25T09:33:00.000-08:002016-02-25T09:33:11.547-08:00Sargentology Conference in York, England<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRfKpRSiYaYvdoWB0akgIOViptLmbaXxkXSnFwf7s6qiuOGXHCGC3OUQJOSh65pTP0_7RL5nc_MWZkNhH8luH35SLEFav7WVy0EeF3fFJP8l3nZ35kWAWHeWGrfTTwON8WLEgl5G_6db_/s1600/kings+manor+york.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRfKpRSiYaYvdoWB0akgIOViptLmbaXxkXSnFwf7s6qiuOGXHCGC3OUQJOSh65pTP0_7RL5nc_MWZkNhH8luH35SLEFav7WVy0EeF3fFJP8l3nZ35kWAWHeWGrfTTwON8WLEgl5G_6db_/s320/kings+manor+york.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The University of York is hosting a "Sargentology" conference at the end of April -- and my paper on "John Singer Sargent as a Character in Historical Fiction" has been accepted! The conference will be held at the King's Manor conference center (seen here) which looks old and beautiful! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'm going to be on a panel with other presenters for the "Sargent and Literature" section, and I'll also be chairing a panel on "Sargent and the Zeitgeist". You can see more about the conference at <a href="http://www.sargentology.com/">www.sargentology.com.</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrS9qqQYNYTpn8WDOy4-q-TlmFoM5tf-q4u2EVcHkK-r_CWWh8uZ1yIJU5f8yAH-BW8akbPLqHCCbi5jiSTiFCMD4cjid-dGirmGEBE31oYIcq887jnicq96icBNMrb9aM_vGmQWK9y4Q/s1600/JSS+bw+AG003876c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrS9qqQYNYTpn8WDOy4-q-TlmFoM5tf-q4u2EVcHkK-r_CWWh8uZ1yIJU5f8yAH-BW8akbPLqHCCbi5jiSTiFCMD4cjid-dGirmGEBE31oYIcq887jnicq96icBNMrb9aM_vGmQWK9y4Q/s320/JSS+bw+AG003876c.jpg" width="272" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My initial research has turned up several children's and YA stories or short novels featuring Sargent, some of which are really interesting. Of course I'll be talking about my own novel, and the new mystery series I've started with Sargent and his friend Violet Paget as the amateur sleuths. There was another mystery with Sargent in it written in 2002 titled "A Weekend at Blenheim" which portrays Sargent as a fairly racy, adulterous and randy sort who gets busy with Consuelo, the wife of the 9th Duke of Marlborough (Winston Churchill's uncle) in 1905. A very interesting short story by Allan Gurganus (author of The Last Living Confederate Widow) is included in his collection, <i>The Practical Heart.</i> It's intriguing and wonderful to see how writers depict this famous painter, who was, by all accounts, a very private person and hard to pin down in many areas of his life--so much room for imagination! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And of course I'm looking forward to a first-ever trip to the famous city of York, with its incredibly beautiful cathedral church, or York Minster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span>mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-62218780406989314152016-01-12T13:11:00.000-08:002016-01-12T14:18:43.285-08:00Happy Birthday, John!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">John Singer Sargent was born on this day 160 years ago, in Florence, Italy -- 12 January 1856. Over the course of the next 75 years until his death in 1925, he drew, sketched, coloured and painted some </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">900 oil paintings and 2,000 watercolours! He was a prodigious, fast and exceptionally skilled artistic genius, and over the last two decades or so, his star has been rising again -- thanks for the most part to his great-great-nephew Richard Ormond, who has been instrumental in providing the world with the Catalog Raisonne of Sargent's works. Ormond was also the leading light behind the magnificent exhibition "Sargent and His Friends" that recently showed at the NY Met Museum, and previous to that, in London at the National Gallery.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5emzYTRAZu-9uYJiYOCTvyT4pXYDJxlBBpbp5MBd8_IYIuDOapk6LqzcXb1Yy1-RXiFDaQwHwzGZoVQFzh5k7V_v16_SMZTo3pLOHQrnthQQ_VmgOdfItJPqbQMFanll-G6BWlejahKVI/s1600/Daughters_of_Edward_Darley_Boit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5emzYTRAZu-9uYJiYOCTvyT4pXYDJxlBBpbp5MBd8_IYIuDOapk6LqzcXb1Yy1-RXiFDaQwHwzGZoVQFzh5k7V_v16_SMZTo3pLOHQrnthQQ_VmgOdfItJPqbQMFanll-G6BWlejahKVI/s320/Daughters_of_Edward_Darley_Boit.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have been in love with Sargent and his work since 1999, when I saw my first exhibition of his work at the Washington D.C. National Gallery. It was there and then that I vowed I would write a novel about this artist, and in particular, his amazing "Portraits d'Enfants", also known as the Daughters of Edward Darley Boit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Much later, I was to learn that my very favorite author, Henry James, was an intimate friend and patron of Sargent, and my literary sights were set -- my novel Portraits of an Artist -- has three scenes with Henry James in them! (N.B. Henry James died in 1916, so this year is a huge year for all sorts of Jamesian gatherings around the world.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Happy Birthday, John Singer Sargent!</span>mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-18147392635326925422015-03-26T14:56:00.002-07:002015-06-09T15:28:15.883-07:00Historical Novel Society Conference -- I'm on Two Panels<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The last weekend in June will see scores of devoted historical fiction fans and authors (some are both!) descend upon Denver, Colorado to enjoy three days of talks, dinners, costume pageants, and special workshops--all about Historical Fiction!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zrACsRzp7GjaWMAr1I5OFf2Cs_ZSO2fFW9_2Tizpm3xkM6MfQahMm-MyQCMcleT3WR_EqKO5KyhQ9xvz0hzOy1MJI2NC90jnDjLLyiYlRYzf_xp-gC5GGutW_YlWj3NnWHI8kLY1Lg_u/s1600/Final+Cover+for+January+Printing+10-26-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zrACsRzp7GjaWMAr1I5OFf2Cs_ZSO2fFW9_2Tizpm3xkM6MfQahMm-MyQCMcleT3WR_EqKO5KyhQ9xvz0hzOy1MJI2NC90jnDjLLyiYlRYzf_xp-gC5GGutW_YlWj3NnWHI8kLY1Lg_u/s1600/Final+Cover+for+January+Printing+10-26-12.jpg" height="200" width="134" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I will be a member of a very special panel about <b>Art & Artists in Historical Fiction</b>, led by Stephanie Renee dos Santos, and featuring Alana White, Donna Russo Morin and Stephanie Cowell -- all of us have written books about famous artists or art pieces, and we are eager to share our love of art in historical fiction and our experiences writing about it. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmTdTp_1h95MelZhjCjU7pp39A49iTaOeXV0HlMIRqSGIDiYmshMHtcRSih5mzHdv7QMvBhugEmzw7kibKsUKEizX8VOAChjM6gkZ67XST0obuOczaTaUU847Y99k8DcjOw2ry1SliTxT/s1600/Avalon+Final+FRONT+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmTdTp_1h95MelZhjCjU7pp39A49iTaOeXV0HlMIRqSGIDiYmshMHtcRSih5mzHdv7QMvBhugEmzw7kibKsUKEizX8VOAChjM6gkZ67XST0obuOczaTaUU847Y99k8DcjOw2ry1SliTxT/s1600/Avalon+Final+FRONT+COVER.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In addition, I am the moderator for a second panel on the subject of<b> The Historical Mystery Series</b>, with Anna Lee Huber, Samuel Thomas, Lauren Willig, and Lindsey Davis. Mysteries are tricky enough to write, but add in the historical element and the fun gets even more intense! Hear all about it at our Saturday morning panel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">More information about the Historical Novel Society North American Conference can be found here: <a href="http://www.hns-conference.org/">www.hns-conference.org</a>. Check it out today!</span>mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-45912181114057226692013-11-23T14:06:00.002-08:002013-11-23T14:06:51.097-08:00Visual Delights of Sargent's Watercolors<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here's a link to a video I put together of the many lovely watercolors displayed at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts exhibit of John Singer Sargent's paintings -- plus a few of his very famous portraits in oils that the MFA also has. I think you'll enjoy it! </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/jwriter-1998638-watercolors-jss-show/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #f1c232;">http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/jwriter-1998638-watercolors-jss-show/ </span></b></a><br />
<br />mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-55259755697172635002013-11-16T09:39:00.002-08:002013-11-16T09:39:43.475-08:00Fabulous Watercolors Exhibit<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Visiting Boston earlier this week, I spent several hours at the MFA's spectacular exhibit of Sargent's watercolors--and of course, paid my obeisance to the Daughters of Edward Darley Boit (more on that soon). Here are some of the exciting paintings on view. Get there if you can do it!</span><br />
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<br />mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-77519380116304332362013-08-07T16:31:00.000-07:002013-08-07T22:05:42.907-07:00Re-Creating Sargent's Glorious Watercolors<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Serendipity strikes again! The Historical Novel Society Conference in<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"> </span>June in St. Petersburg, Florida, has yielded up a great new connection and resource from the extensive network of the historical fiction sister-and-brother-hood! <a href="http://www.brucemacbain.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Bruce Macbain</span></a>,<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> </span>author of <i>Roman Games</i> and <i>The Bull Slayer</i>, and his wife Carol, purchased my Sargent book and lent it to a friend, Wendy Soneson, who happens to be a terrific artist and great fan of Sargent's. Wendy is currently scheduled to give demonstrations of Sargent's watercolor technique at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in October, in conjunction with the huge exhibit of Sargent's watercolors there. Her websites are well worth looking at: <a href="http://www.wendysoneson.com/"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">www.wendysoneson.com</span></a> and <a href="http://www.watercolorweekly.com/"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">www.watercolorweekly.com</span></a> for both the Sargent paintings and her own portraits and landscapes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the meantime, here is a wonderful version by Wendy of that infamous Amelie Gautreau (Madame X) in one of the gazillion poses Sargent tried before he found the right one. And a few more of his paintings, a la Wendy.</span><br />
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mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-35484174423699254912013-07-18T14:46:00.000-07:002013-07-18T14:46:21.878-07:00A Living Madame X<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A few weeks ago, I attended (and helped plan and run) the 5th North American Historical Novel Society, held at the Hotel Vinoy in St. Petersburg, Florida. Three hundred-some historical fiction authors, editors, agents and just plain fans had a great time over the long weekend of sessions and parties and gatherings. At our 'dress-up' Saturday night dinner banquet, including a Costume pageant, one of our author-attendees,<a href="http://www.lesliecarroll.com/" target="_blank"> Leslie Carroll</a> (her<i> nom de plume</i> is Juliet Gray), showed up dressed very much like the infamous Virginie Amelie Gautreau, Sargent's scandalous "Madame X". Of course, I had to take a picture of her in the proper pose, although there wasn't an appropriate little table nearby. Thanks, Leslie!</span><br />
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<br />mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-1975309376126632442013-06-18T09:41:00.004-07:002013-06-18T09:41:42.129-07:00The Family of Edward Darley Boit<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB87EvtFvJF1GtKkz7HMuw96jnnx77kvv7ylkiHWvNvE-WF2WcbFfDrB-tulb3HPnFlLe_w7RpWolNMuqBdJsU2WxMLJwwRbM0Pz5afmgvXM0jX3PkNjQE9VH5e18Sg9W8pJIwcBX6Y5q8/s1600/Mrs_Edward_Darley_Boit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB87EvtFvJF1GtKkz7HMuw96jnnx77kvv7ylkiHWvNvE-WF2WcbFfDrB-tulb3HPnFlLe_w7RpWolNMuqBdJsU2WxMLJwwRbM0Pz5afmgvXM0jX3PkNjQE9VH5e18Sg9W8pJIwcBX6Y5q8/s1600/Mrs_Edward_Darley_Boit.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Iox4lqS8e1iJ3KlmiJtBkNhyA5ZVGOL6N-fLICBkUb1lSd4GGx_OWxh4SFNmfwbi2wqX2tWCSB9i30WKhf5Bu8U050wFx-ASsabqSat0cz86e0_nSx7HMzZ3qmWQZPjmBJK9TE3c6sBk/s1600/Edward+Darley+Boit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Iox4lqS8e1iJ3KlmiJtBkNhyA5ZVGOL6N-fLICBkUb1lSd4GGx_OWxh4SFNmfwbi2wqX2tWCSB9i30WKhf5Bu8U050wFx-ASsabqSat0cz86e0_nSx7HMzZ3qmWQZPjmBJK9TE3c6sBk/s200/Edward+Darley+Boit.jpg" width="137" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">After the period of time covered in my novel (1882-84),</b> hard times lay ahead for the Boit family,
at least emotionally. Isa died in 1894, and the four girls (Florence, Jane, Mary Louisa and Julia), with their father,
continued their travels throughout Europe, Great Britain and the U.S. But none
of the girls liked America very much, and Ned, too, preferred the ease and
openness of Europe to his native land. He was married again in 1897 to a very
young woman, a friend of his daughter Mary Louisa, confusingly enough named
Florence, and together they had two boys. Unfortunately, his second wife died a
few weeks after giving birth to her second son, in 1902. After recovering from
this untimely death, Ned renewed his interest in his painting, and mounted
several exhibitions of his work (one with Sargent in Boston). Ned died in 1915,
in Florence. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8fY9KihpTTta3y5UvcB9OPl-RV1rl5ghdUYQj9fXekNTNbw3NwLgAO7hUjSxrpfRotFtBlXGI-sPOaZH8IULIZTJJRmg811iWgkC_5SYC-GqvRBxZVs6HWbS_5hIl4YYR90039V8NQls/s1600/lighter+Daughters_of_Edward_Darley_Boit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8fY9KihpTTta3y5UvcB9OPl-RV1rl5ghdUYQj9fXekNTNbw3NwLgAO7hUjSxrpfRotFtBlXGI-sPOaZH8IULIZTJJRmg811iWgkC_5SYC-GqvRBxZVs6HWbS_5hIl4YYR90039V8NQls/s320/lighter+Daughters_of_Edward_Darley_Boit.jpg" width="318" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As for the Boit daughters, Florence (leaning against the pillar in the painting) was always a rather odd duck, never
evincing the slightest interest in marrying or attending the usual social
events. She was an avid player of the relatively new sport of golf—which she
introduced to the Boston area, inspiring the local rich folks to build a course
at a country club in Newport. She and a cousin, Jane Boit Patten, nicknamed
“Pat” to distinguish her from the innumerable Jane’s and Jeanie’s in the
family, became fast friends and in later years, lived in what was called a
“Boston marriage”, two spinster ladies living together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The second daughter, Jane (standing next to Florence, facing forward), both before Isa died and afterward, was ill a great deal,
both physically and emotionally, and spent several periods of time in and out
of “retreats” and institutions where she underwent various cures to allay her
apparently rather violent fits of anger and depression. Not much is known about
Mary Louisa (standing to the far left, hands behind her back) except that she and Julia (on the floor with her babydoll) were always together, and Julia became
fairly well known for her paintings and illustrations in water colors. Florence
died at age fifty-one, on December 8, 1919, in Paris. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">With the outbreak of WWII
in 1939, the three remaining sisters moved back to the United States. Julia and
Mary Louisa (also known as “Isa” like her mother) lived in Newport, where Mary Louisa
died on June 27, 1945, at age seventy-one. Jane (or “Jeanie” as she was known)
died at the age of eighty-five on November 8, 1955, in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Julia passed away in February 1969, at the age of ninety-one.</span></div>
mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-55094391978551363172013-04-30T18:09:00.002-07:002013-04-30T18:09:41.201-07:00Franz Hals - Inspiration for Sargent's Madame X?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRic5dH2QM8y8WvRzFsL1rR7nD_9B78Cu0injXd8nPrg7T7_MIbE-W6D97kBq5lCHbVkIOxYXCsZn83nbqjND_Safu6GgTMpV_sSwACRT9CBiDdGPBjzI0Ao_QqEIEp60wALWz7wRGEiNQ/s1600/Study_for_Madame_X_php228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRic5dH2QM8y8WvRzFsL1rR7nD_9B78Cu0injXd8nPrg7T7_MIbE-W6D97kBq5lCHbVkIOxYXCsZn83nbqjND_Safu6GgTMpV_sSwACRT9CBiDdGPBjzI0Ao_QqEIEp60wALWz7wRGEiNQ/s1600/Study_for_Madame_X_php228.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgXEiO7-Fi1PmTZvKLqbN3UEFbX69BmTsXlG69yazDP_0wMcAYG6w5yzbAk8HfWH7Zy1Oxb6_vi0xGGc08BIlZWagNwKjKWRtArwvBkemz1_a_Bys2s8KV7vv-IR395mVlUELxHS0cIuV/s1600/Amelie+on+couch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgXEiO7-Fi1PmTZvKLqbN3UEFbX69BmTsXlG69yazDP_0wMcAYG6w5yzbAk8HfWH7Zy1Oxb6_vi0xGGc08BIlZWagNwKjKWRtArwvBkemz1_a_Bys2s8KV7vv-IR395mVlUELxHS0cIuV/s1600/Amelie+on+couch.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVL73-maWfaMDRcJnct4WI5BzSht5C_qW5C2MENicvy0JYF_5Q8TSfol2qairkrvIzxTPiSPChc4qn917XbPnjL16NCAS_Bw7zEBPgemXv7WJoEkJpahoQxgJPuUuw8W_Rp9TmqUPkdB-l/s1600/Madame_Pierre_Gautreau+watercolor+sketch+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVL73-maWfaMDRcJnct4WI5BzSht5C_qW5C2MENicvy0JYF_5Q8TSfol2qairkrvIzxTPiSPChc4qn917XbPnjL16NCAS_Bw7zEBPgemXv7WJoEkJpahoQxgJPuUuw8W_Rp9TmqUPkdB-l/s1600/Madame_Pierre_Gautreau+watercolor+sketch+-+Copy.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For several months in 1883, John Singer Sargent worked feverishly to capture the image of Virginie Amelie Gautreau--soon to be known as the "infamous" <i>Madame X</i>--both at his studio in Paris, and later, at the summer chateau of the Gautreau family in the west of France in St.-Malo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zAhWC4uXpU8ZzkMHTD2l-_P7bB4fINkuPRznkVNNao4QKBdqIaI88BNXTkr-onvXgyuiJPP6PN0YWOV2o41ruE-E4hlaaMA03qspXaFUpsH92hYTGI62AGsy_Fqv7EHB7AgnMsDfZljG/s1600/Madame_Gautreau_Drinking_a_Toast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zAhWC4uXpU8ZzkMHTD2l-_P7bB4fINkuPRznkVNNao4QKBdqIaI88BNXTkr-onvXgyuiJPP6PN0YWOV2o41ruE-E4hlaaMA03qspXaFUpsH92hYTGI62AGsy_Fqv7EHB7AgnMsDfZljG/s1600/Madame_Gautreau_Drinking_a_Toast.jpg" /></a>. Sargent had painted and sketched Mme. Gautreau in oils, watercolors, pastels and charcoal--sitting, standing, lying down, walking in the garden--and was unable to fix on the exact right pose and setting for what he desired to be a magnificent portrait. Here are some of his attempts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In July he took a short break from his labors, and
travelled with friends up to Haarlem, Netherlands. There he visited the
Haarlem City Hall, which also served as an art museum for an incredible
collection of Dutch masters, including one of Sargent's favorites, Franz
Hals. (b. 1582 – d.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> 26 August </span></span></span><br />
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1666). Hals was known for having introduced a more familiar, intimate style of portraiture, especially in group portraits. Here on the left is a self-portrait done in his classic style, with loose brushwork, a plain background, and the sitter's shadow on the wall.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWGW8zvTcf9VmoghCIWs1daJJdZe4IhGk3J89dXUbh10y1f0r5-0-cg2P24lXVf9y1kNYEXghznmv_HCDV9W2JLUcsL47-H7f_zIpm4z4B-Zr7J8Z4t20Tj5VYnbMkF_Q4qgoeeScQIXt/s1600/Frans_Hals_-_Paulus_van_Beresteyn_-_WGA11055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFWGW8zvTcf9VmoghCIWs1daJJdZe4IhGk3J89dXUbh10y1f0r5-0-cg2P24lXVf9y1kNYEXghznmv_HCDV9W2JLUcsL47-H7f_zIpm4z4B-Zr7J8Z4t20Tj5VYnbMkF_Q4qgoeeScQIXt/s320/Frans_Hals_-_Paulus_van_Beresteyn_-_WGA11055.jpg" width="230" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As I researched Sargent's life and travels, I took a close look at Hals' paintings, and decided that there was sufficient reason to consider Hals' style as an inspiration for the final portrait of <i>Madame X</i>. Not only is the plain brown background a striking effect, along with the shadow, but the odd twist of a sitter's body can often be seen in Hals' larger portraits. He frequently had his subjects touching a chair or table that was half in and half out of the frame. There is a subtlety and a richness in the deep blacks and browns, especially as contrasted with white collars and ruffs, and rosy skin. The most decided difference between any of Hals' subjects and the Madame X portrait is that Hals' people all look forward at the viewer, frank, open, honest, amused, interested. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLyaifLn2GFLIp1DMQp7ecJBF_uNFqLyBBQbMxvEL3OL81DRGpf7w39t_uv0lcPX65moAj3rcWro4GqnxhRNoeW2IA0IhyphenhyphenezMUMxDp7DffmTru_gy_L-S_jolDZcEaGWBJpr05AJmAgxY/s1600/Madame+X.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLyaifLn2GFLIp1DMQp7ecJBF_uNFqLyBBQbMxvEL3OL81DRGpf7w39t_uv0lcPX65moAj3rcWro4GqnxhRNoeW2IA0IhyphenhyphenezMUMxDp7DffmTru_gy_L-S_jolDZcEaGWBJpr05AJmAgxY/s400/Madame+X.jpg" width="210" /></a> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Not Madame X, however. She disdains to look the viewer in the eye. She is an inaccessible Beauty. Her skin is not rosy (except for her ear, where her pale powder makeup didn't reach, apparently--that rosy, natural-colored ear was quite a scandal). The alabaster color of her arms and shoulders, her neck and face, are the "white ruff" counterpart of Hals' paintings. Not even a necklace relieves the pallor of her skin, although the straps of her dress are diamonds in gold chain links. The original painting had her right shoulder strap falling down on her right arm--scandal again. She is dressed (or "barely dressed") all in black -- and as the ladies of Paris instantly realized, she's not wearing a corset, or any proper undergarments. It is a fact that shortly after Sargent returned from his trip to Haarlem, he fixed upon this pose, these colors, this dress as the component parts of his masterpiece, so I think I'm in a pretty safe place thinking Hals was the inspiration. After the uproar and outrage of its showing at the 1884 Salon, Sargent kept the painting in his studio and did not lend it out for exhibition until once in 1911 in Italy, and then finally at the 1915 San Francisco Panama-Pacific International Exhibition. After that, rather than ship it back to England, he sold it to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it hangs in splendor today in the newly built wing of American Art.</span></span> </span><br />
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mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-35007846838131753332013-04-08T09:49:00.002-07:002013-04-08T17:31:53.039-07:00Sargent and the Duchess of Marlborough<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxAq6iDRpvd14VDDpX5vuYOSNPVTs6hx0U2X5B84rNaQ6-feNrmu1uJVOu2DPqfDGAVYXwF_BgrHe9JOMM9U8lDxHxa6fuREYTHRRSTs-dZkCZj7Mx26mK_adaWOdAsOEk3RFEZR82Fj2/s1600/Duke_of_Marlborough_Family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxAq6iDRpvd14VDDpX5vuYOSNPVTs6hx0U2X5B84rNaQ6-feNrmu1uJVOu2DPqfDGAVYXwF_BgrHe9JOMM9U8lDxHxa6fuREYTHRRSTs-dZkCZj7Mx26mK_adaWOdAsOEk3RFEZR82Fj2/s400/Duke_of_Marlborough_Family.jpg" width="292" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I just read an oddly entertaining historical novel, <i>A Weekend at Blenheim</i>, by J.P. Morrissey, that included not only Winston Churchill (as might be expected) but also John Singer Sargent! It is a gnarly tale of deceit, arrogance, lust, hate and blind ambition, and the aristocracy comes off as most unattractive to say the least. Consuelo (nee Vanderbilt) was an American heiress who was quite blatantly "married off" to the 9th Duke of Marlborough (known as "Sunny" which he absolutely was <i>not</i>) when they were both quite young, in 1895. Consuelo's wedding present of $2.5 million pretty much saved Blenheim from crumbling to pieces. The two were divorced, quite messily, by 1921. Anyway, in the novel, Sargent is there for the weekend, along with the purely fictional protagonist who is the plebian observer of all the wretched goings-on. Sargent is spoken of, <i>sotto voce</i>, as a "sodomist", yet is witnessed <i>in flagrante</i> with the Duchess by our intrepid observer who sees them through a window--the Duchess is posing nude while Sargent, also nude, makes ardently drawn charcoal sketches of her, then falls upon her with decided passion! (my my!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRB1r581KMmVJa0VsRxVswCWIatoMnOs4Q5duNcU83v7cobtOPvfVCSp7KVdl50RopNdV8HVvEz1hjW_SN7clpbS9IP5Gc5XiND0CHAB_e4u4QPSyMv_Ui7y6PPfKjGj6_szvKw0xi5ZDx/s1600/4th_Duke_of_Marlborough_T.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRB1r581KMmVJa0VsRxVswCWIatoMnOs4Q5duNcU83v7cobtOPvfVCSp7KVdl50RopNdV8HVvEz1hjW_SN7clpbS9IP5Gc5XiND0CHAB_e4u4QPSyMv_Ui7y6PPfKjGj6_szvKw0xi5ZDx/s320/4th_Duke_of_Marlborough_T.JPG" width="305" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sargent did indeed paint an enormous portrait of the Duke's family (above)--<i>not at all his best effort, imho</i>--but he was "told" that it was to complement an earlier painting of the 4th Duke and his family by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Here is Reynolds' portrait, as well as a sketch of Duchess Consuelo by Sargent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Hmm, maybe there was something to that fictional affair after all?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCd1meIFIxnRxbWwCV4KNf09PNL2ampfqIzQFp7no2vL-TZGsm_A3o9oZI2uJwkTQH9JWE1OMJVyWe4_M9MmyAH_kHs_Hu37MRUOPTzhBJx0cDUb0rsihvc1EfNYpaSkObN2uNkC4h30P-/s1600/Duchess_of_Marlborough_T.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCd1meIFIxnRxbWwCV4KNf09PNL2ampfqIzQFp7no2vL-TZGsm_A3o9oZI2uJwkTQH9JWE1OMJVyWe4_M9MmyAH_kHs_Hu37MRUOPTzhBJx0cDUb0rsihvc1EfNYpaSkObN2uNkC4h30P-/s320/Duchess_of_Marlborough_T.JPG" width="226" /></a><br />
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<br />mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-83538686679634442192013-03-20T15:02:00.001-07:002013-03-20T15:02:47.037-07:00Sargent at the DeYoung in San FranciscoI recently learned there are three John Singer Sargent paintings in my own backyard (almost) -- at the DeYoung Museum! Two of them were already familiar to me, and I love them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju2_wZi5bbuWEJkvZBOgo6zUkKh3eqSuVBYBjtbNlMZJ-G_ZpFwdEUZFnShc0SqXpOtaRNrzsIxx2bG0QPK988gdKAgxr_Qr0chHwMcRS9y0xOTriDHtEpDZfm9n5pS2vMXlQ4QlDimg8/s1600/IMG_1450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju2_wZi5bbuWEJkvZBOgo6zUkKh3eqSuVBYBjtbNlMZJ-G_ZpFwdEUZFnShc0SqXpOtaRNrzsIxx2bG0QPK988gdKAgxr_Qr0chHwMcRS9y0xOTriDHtEpDZfm9n5pS2vMXlQ4QlDimg8/s400/IMG_1450.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The first is titled "The Dinner Table", with Mrs. Albert Vickers in the center and her husband not too visible on the right. Sargent painted the whole Vickers family in 1884 during the summer after the scandal and debacle of "Madame X" sent him running from Paris to England. <br />
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The second painting is a later watercolor of a man fishing in a mountain stream. After about 1906, Sargent took no more orders for portraits, though he painted or did charcoal sketches of friends; he concentrated on watercolors which he excelled in. <br />
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The third painting, below, is of Caroline de Bassano, Marquise
d'Espeuiles; the portrait was painted in 1884. As usual, Sargent painted
the clothing with a fine eye for lacy detail and satiny folds. From the
expression on the Marquise's face, however, I'd say he kept her
standing there a little too long for her liking! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADEkSx8XidG98NgkvgCD8UEZNbGa-xlRQ0LtlXUNKBN_P6GSl9M0Jm0lNuK7kpLQ0_wND7jlR_bo1tv6BLw31VEZT3UNvjgNinAjHocVtRf3epkbNeFrFWPNHQnk-dTFxYso9FOJTKnOg/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADEkSx8XidG98NgkvgCD8UEZNbGa-xlRQ0LtlXUNKBN_P6GSl9M0Jm0lNuK7kpLQ0_wND7jlR_bo1tv6BLw31VEZT3UNvjgNinAjHocVtRf3epkbNeFrFWPNHQnk-dTFxYso9FOJTKnOg/s640/IMG_1453.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;"><span></span></span>mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-2392316056628067742013-03-12T10:25:00.002-07:002013-03-12T10:25:32.361-07:00Sargent at the Brooklyn Museum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2q9piGjRCU3JWQgNOlnLB8u7mP0CaJxKVu8SajUdjdxT6cvahySoiWazHLn3RefZT93HcBqoSZwI5w_O-mX2KKoZ18__PGDRMoGWvb7zUGAQwSMPXIrPVtkqKY8pwjdi9rIqCbdqVMdWv/s1600/Bedouins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2q9piGjRCU3JWQgNOlnLB8u7mP0CaJxKVu8SajUdjdxT6cvahySoiWazHLn3RefZT93HcBqoSZwI5w_O-mX2KKoZ18__PGDRMoGWvb7zUGAQwSMPXIrPVtkqKY8pwjdi9rIqCbdqVMdWv/s320/Bedouins.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedouins</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Brooklyn Museum of Art is about to open a major exhibition of <a href="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/sargent_watercolors/" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">John Singer Sargent's watercolors</span></a>, from April 5 through July 28th. As described on the museum's website: "This landmark exhibition unites for the first time the John Singer
Sargent watercolors acquired by the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of
Fine Arts, Boston, in the early twentieth century. The culmination of a
yearlong collaborative study by both museums,<em> John Singer Sargent Watercolors </em>explores
the watercolor practice that has traditionally been viewed as a
tangential facet of Sargent’s art making. The ninety-three pieces on
display provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to view a broad range
of the artist’s finest production in the medium."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmquAUY-KtVqj2W-d730tB0rT90KxDR4YtUCt9N6ZweqfY_a2jOtqZfXR4qh9FbiZJpdm2IFHqfPdMn3Ob7KmM3EnKvRUYWHwjnk4PX76RA-cPKe4L4POKsCs2tBTFnlknXvcg-1naCzp/s1600/Bridge_of_Sighs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmquAUY-KtVqj2W-d730tB0rT90KxDR4YtUCt9N6ZweqfY_a2jOtqZfXR4qh9FbiZJpdm2IFHqfPdMn3Ob7KmM3EnKvRUYWHwjnk4PX76RA-cPKe4L4POKsCs2tBTFnlknXvcg-1naCzp/s320/Bridge_of_Sighs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge of Sighs, Venice</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'm delighted to add that the museum gift store will have my novel, <i>Portraits of an Artist</i>, in stock and for sale during the exhibition.Thanks, Brooklyn!</span>mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-91141807177424375692013-02-28T22:07:00.000-08:002013-02-28T22:07:31.422-08:00R.I.P. Henry James<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h5 class="uiStreamMessage userContentWrapper" data-ft="{"type":1,"tn":"K"}">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="userContent">Today
was the 97th anniversary of Henry James' death. He is by far my
favorite "classic" writer. To Mr. James, I lift a glass of port and say,
"Well lived, well written, well read, dear Mr. James!" <br /> <br /> This
famous portrait of Henry James was painted by (who else?) John Singer
Sargent, in 1912. There is an earlier sketch by Sargent, too. The two
met in 1883 and James was very taken by the young, handsome and talented
Euro-American artist, and was instrumental in helping Sargent find many
clients in England after he'd "fled" from France. I couldn't resist
writing more than one scene in my novel that featured James. <br /> <br />
Two recent books for James fans: <i>The Master</i>, a novel by Colm Toibin, and
<i>Portrait of a Novel</i>, non-fiction about one of James's most famous
novels, by Michael Gorra.</span></span></span></span></span></h5>
mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-65706261918969982572013-02-04T13:19:00.000-08:002013-02-04T13:19:28.543-08:00Excerpt from PORTRAITS<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Monotype Corsiva"; font-size: 24.0pt;">Prologue</span><span style="font-family: "Monotype Corsiva"; font-size: 20.0pt;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif";">I
see them now in mirrors, on darkened windows, in waking dreams—all the faces I
have painted. Children, and men, and women. Always the women, with their
languid eyes, their tense, anxious lips, their serene brows and haughty noses.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3gRvKf-5mfGH5yJkeUqxdk6DfAaLnOae02guT9RaoXjLGdPi0niQxIJPEFLOTHyz0s1pSDUOeXX255R8j00aBeStaY5pUGYDax6nl0NeDhOpTFitU9-5ekXfr4rwT0kult_9R60DZy2-/s1600/Sargent_Self_Portrait_T.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3gRvKf-5mfGH5yJkeUqxdk6DfAaLnOae02guT9RaoXjLGdPi0niQxIJPEFLOTHyz0s1pSDUOeXX255R8j00aBeStaY5pUGYDax6nl0NeDhOpTFitU9-5ekXfr4rwT0kult_9R60DZy2-/s200/Sargent_Self_Portrait_T.JPG" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif";">John
Singer Sargent, a painter of portraits, that’s who I am. I chose to be a
painter of portraits because I was very good at it, because I liked the
acclaim, the society, the weekends at country houses outside Paris and London
and Florence—and because it paid well, very well. I died a rich man. Childless,
unmarried, though not unloved—no, not unloved. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif";">The
portraits of my friends are the book of my life—my paintings are the words that
I can never find to explain myself, to defend myself, even to know my very
self. Two portraits in particular, painted before I reached the age of thirty,
haunt me even now, more than all the rest. One became a private grief, softened
by time but never truly healed. The other, a public scandal that changed
everything. Together they turned me from a young man, a foolish man, into a sad
and sorry shadow that only I could see when I looked in a mirror. I wonder if
you can guess which ones they are? As the years dragged on, I endured as the
entertaining, successful, eccentric old swell who ate too much, smoked too
much—and let no one come too close.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif";">As I
cannot easily speak for myself, and as I yearn to be known, at least a little,
I will allow my portraits to speak for me—their stories will illuminate mine.
You may say that I am still keeping myself one step removed, so that you,
reader, will not come too close—well, that’s as may be. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is there in those portraits you must seek
me, if you would know me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif";">I am
the painter of portraits.</span></div>
mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-14924863280487322002013-01-16T13:12:00.000-08:002013-01-16T13:12:56.315-08:00BOOK LAUNCH!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Book Launch reading and party is set! If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, please come on Thursday, Feb. 21st, 7:00 pm, to Bookshop West Portal, 80 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco. It's going to be fun!</span>mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-22630834014136555232012-12-26T17:41:00.000-08:002012-12-26T17:41:37.429-08:00Hercule Poirot and Lord Ribbesdale<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UnoqfcvB0gNChiAtEncCG0eclYZEeSQFzK4WxRpVtDCZgfIwXBKOmmHslzGAxyLiY9l89b2NhDS-t3VpU2yaonghyphenhyphenZpvIhJ1ybsVtBvMuspAyjdjYejYbYMe1pzWDIRF3ksXx5UXvGXx/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UnoqfcvB0gNChiAtEncCG0eclYZEeSQFzK4WxRpVtDCZgfIwXBKOmmHslzGAxyLiY9l89b2NhDS-t3VpU2yaonghyphenhyphenZpvIhJ1ybsVtBvMuspAyjdjYejYbYMe1pzWDIRF3ksXx5UXvGXx/s320/IMG_1330.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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While watching one of those delightful Masterpiece Mysteries
on Christmas Eve—it was Hercule Poirot in an episode from 1995 titled “Poirot’s
Christmas”, with the inimitable David Suchet, I noticed that a portrait of the
(soon to be dead) wealthy old man who had hired Poirot looked rather familiar.
I paused the show and captured this shot (on right) with my camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3vxl6AhQLy5HsjErlBqBYYed3x0vMNdtn04O9UWCjG0u_8xHPWXhCwo0A7um_fEeLuZKuu_8sbuvw2x9YMDOtaSkaIDk3FDDLosFV8kKIAfQZrlA5FKM0zJv5_KU1aL0TStMOz9s2FW9/s1600/Ribblesdale2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3vxl6AhQLy5HsjErlBqBYYed3x0vMNdtn04O9UWCjG0u_8xHPWXhCwo0A7um_fEeLuZKuu_8sbuvw2x9YMDOtaSkaIDk3FDDLosFV8kKIAfQZrlA5FKM0zJv5_KU1aL0TStMOz9s2FW9/s400/Ribblesdale2.JPG" width="221" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I ran to my bookshelves to get a book of Sargent portraits
by Elizabeth Prettejohn, written as the exhibition book for one of the most
magnificent exhibits of Sargent paintings in the last fifty years—I saw it at
the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., in 1998. Turning the pages quickly, I
found the portrait I’d been reminded of in the Poirot mystery:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord Ribbesdale. Though not a full-length
portrait, the painting used in the mystery story was undoubtedly painted with
Sargent’s portrait in mind – the stance, the draped coat, even the flattened
pilaster in the background mimicked the original very well. What fun to see it
on TV! </div>
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Prettejohn’s description of the Lord Ribbesdale portrait is fascinating,
as she sets forth the hypothesis that while Sargent chose the traditional
stance of an Englishman’s portrait, his use of hunting clothing instead of
military dress—including substituting the sword with a riding crop—is a strong
indication of the dramatic changes undergone by British aristocracy, who no
longer held the power and sway of their forebears, but rather seemed mostly
representative of the new “leisure class” whose main activity was elite sports, like fox hunting and horse racing.
Sargent always insisted that he didn’t “psychologize” his sitters and only
painted what was before his eyes, but we know that he spent a good deal of time
choosing exactly what his sitters would wear, and arranging the background to
suit his perception of a portrait. Hard to believe he wasn’t arranging a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">little</i> social commentary!</div>
mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-63988461789579349492012-11-28T14:36:00.000-08:002012-11-29T09:03:39.281-08:00Madame X: Then and Now <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Artists, and especially photographers, have always been fascinated by
the scandalous "Madame X", one of Sargent's most famous portraits, and
the one of which he wrote in a letter when he sold it (c. 1917) to the NY
Metropolitan Museum of Art, "probably the best thing I've ever done." </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNcFSaxcX6hoNK_zvsRM9pHkn5tZ0zfK9rtlJAUy9hpVlG2zmjdy7t-QJkuk47gbHy2wSiwveokWIcxkXNrTE5_BbGC0xcIDGhqwjEwHgCsUvW1FyWKrmge8b6A2VBvmQ0twAl_yRoHOF/s1600/Madame+X+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNcFSaxcX6hoNK_zvsRM9pHkn5tZ0zfK9rtlJAUy9hpVlG2zmjdy7t-QJkuk47gbHy2wSiwveokWIcxkXNrTE5_BbGC0xcIDGhqwjEwHgCsUvW1FyWKrmge8b6A2VBvmQ0twAl_yRoHOF/s320/Madame+X+-+Copy.jpg" width="168" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaqlcwTrvlLxuyrhMv5nbBkI2xO5aHCCE_kG-UfDDFa55ckDHhljxxJZ3dpz6s9w6CWr9DWfpmP_aNc4prKplKcOaU41FKvjt4Hvg7M_pIQe0U2U7fg0U4uh_9polEcGat0vJIvQLMp8E/s1600/Photo_Madame_X+fallen+strap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAaqlcwTrvlLxuyrhMv5nbBkI2xO5aHCCE_kG-UfDDFa55ckDHhljxxJZ3dpz6s9w6CWr9DWfpmP_aNc4prKplKcOaU41FKvjt4Hvg7M_pIQe0U2U7fg0U4uh_9polEcGat0vJIvQLMp8E/s320/Photo_Madame_X+fallen+strap.jpg" width="171" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here is the "original" portrait in a black & white photo, the only
known photograph of the portrait as it was originally displayed, with
Virginie Amelie Gautreau's dress strap hanging off her shoulder. Later, after the Salon of 1884 was over, Sargent took the portrait back to his studio on Boulevard Berthier and scraped away the offending strap, painting it so it was firmly attached to the lady's shoulder. You'll have to read my novel to learn more about the whole backstory! (coming late January 2013)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMoC9RjIDZzr4IsdZ_dAV9JEb4YiTiuXnZuvM8qHAj6Tjqhe0iUZ2sM98Lu_1oqyRKhbG3bt-WyK4nzSomDIxHF2rFumE3clExCmeuJlbvBAB-emCHkCBvtBVbX4cOK_63_U2zPdaPjwe/s1600/Kidman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMoC9RjIDZzr4IsdZ_dAV9JEb4YiTiuXnZuvM8qHAj6Tjqhe0iUZ2sM98Lu_1oqyRKhbG3bt-WyK4nzSomDIxHF2rFumE3clExCmeuJlbvBAB-emCHkCBvtBVbX4cOK_63_U2zPdaPjwe/s400/Kidman1.jpg" width="292" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A few years ago, Nicole Kidman posed for some interesting Vogue photographs in which she was dressed as famous portraits, one of which was, of course, Madame X. Didn't quite get the posture right (imho), and Ms. Kidman looks less serene, more startled and anxious than Amelie Gautreau -- and her right arm isn't nearly as contorted (something that Sargent's subject complained about endlessly!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5lbbajaaBhzBcgaCs7LpximU1ZuWf-uVDNP95RADkpLP9m55Byskym7TRQc6zcSLQtLPEZEj3mwIW7_5UQpnmBAlc73mmILKQwLqupcFB0fdd2yozkPNswq_TIxkYB3TTVk1dHCD4oDY/s1600/Kinser+Mme+X+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5lbbajaaBhzBcgaCs7LpximU1ZuWf-uVDNP95RADkpLP9m55Byskym7TRQc6zcSLQtLPEZEj3mwIW7_5UQpnmBAlc73mmILKQwLqupcFB0fdd2yozkPNswq_TIxkYB3TTVk1dHCD4oDY/s400/Kinser+Mme+X+photo.jpg" width="220" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And then, just this morning, I came across this delicious new take on Madame X. It's featured on a website of an artist, James Kinser (<a href="http://www.jkinser.com/more-muse-a-portrait-of-madame-x/madamex-duo">http://www.jkinser.com/more-muse-a-portrait-of-madame-x/madamex-duo</a>), working with photographer Niki Gangruth, who together deftly and brilliantly explore the "rich, undefined land between genders" in a project they call "Muse". There are several other re-visioned famous portraits (Vermeer, Ingres, Magritte) that are well worth seeing. Again, the pose doesn't exactly duplicate everything, especially that twisted right hand, but I think this one has more of the cool serenity of the original. There was, in fact, a strong undercurrent of "gender-bending" at the end of the 19th century and a little beyond (think Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, Toulouse Lautrec); Singer Sargent and the crowd he ran with were kind of on the experimenting edge of this kind of "new world."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fascinating!!</span><br />
<br />mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-290390362168534042012-11-03T15:17:00.000-07:002013-04-25T18:34:14.647-07:00The Palazzo Barbaro in Venice<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IRff4yMix1QSQWMJHUH2jdekfyDRcjJzX4Y6z3e3lHZ_Oke9hhHM7mxnqTxNDXU2xp5dSGTH_ejJTJSkBCAmt309dig_Ta-KC7ykwlqlpvb0KwOQd-qW4HZ51xfQbxZVJ7uCZNxdzS0_/s1600/ITALY-VENICE-PalazzoBarbaro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IRff4yMix1QSQWMJHUH2jdekfyDRcjJzX4Y6z3e3lHZ_Oke9hhHM7mxnqTxNDXU2xp5dSGTH_ejJTJSkBCAmt309dig_Ta-KC7ykwlqlpvb0KwOQd-qW4HZ51xfQbxZVJ7uCZNxdzS0_/s320/ITALY-VENICE-PalazzoBarbaro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I loved writing the section in my novel about Ralph Curtis and John Sargent at Ralph's family's "digs" in Venice: the famous Palazzo Barbaro. At left is a photo of the palazzo from across the Grand Canal, where I was standing when I was in Venice in September, very close to the Peggy Guggenheim museum (which was closed that day). Here's some information about it: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The <b>Palazzi Barbaro</b> — also known
as <b>Palazzo Barbaro</b>, <b>Ca' Barbaro</b>, and <b>Palazzo Barbaro-Curtis</b>
— are a pair of adjoining palaces in the San Marco district of Venice, on the
Grand Canal, originally built in 1425 and 1465. After the Barbaro family died
out in the middle of the 19th century, the Palazzo was bought by a series of
speculators who auctioned off furniture and paintings. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In 1881 the older palazzo was rented by
a relative of John Singer Sargent, Daniel Sargent Curtis. Daniel’s son Ralph
was one of John’s best friends, and they were art students together in Paris. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daniel and Ariana Curtis purchased the Palazzo
in 1885, and repaired and restored the Barbaro and hosted many artists,
musicians, and writers. Palazzo Barbaro became the hub of American life in
Venice with visits from Sargent, Henry James, James Whistler, Robert Browning,
Claude Monet, Isabella Stewart Gardner, and Edith Wharton among them. Henry James
finished his novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Aspern Papers</i>
in Palazzo Barbaro at a desk still housed in the palace today. James included a
description of the Barbaro ballroom in his novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wings of the Dove.</i> In 1898, John Singer Sargent painted <i>An
Interior in Venice</i> (above), a group portrait of the Curtis family in the salon. On the right, seated, you can see "dear, brutal Ariana" Curtis (as Violet Paget wrote of her in a letter) with her husband Daniel in the forefront, and Ralph and his wife in the background.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1gyRrbGRo29mEgYY7azd1cdt3aY525gFqonTutfMHrehLPBnQ_QSssNJ5XNSXF9hzdOv3U4kdJUqN8txbC8NZ9r5-WBQluy2LSArXv1migM6vX39jCMJ1EZgjqUyOdIiCiJAmXnWBH1E/s1600/gardner+museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1gyRrbGRo29mEgYY7azd1cdt3aY525gFqonTutfMHrehLPBnQ_QSssNJ5XNSXF9hzdOv3U4kdJUqN8txbC8NZ9r5-WBQluy2LSArXv1migM6vX39jCMJ1EZgjqUyOdIiCiJAmXnWBH1E/s400/gardner+museum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Isabella Stewart Gardner used the Palazzo as a model for her house (and ultimately
museum) in Boston. Palazzo Barbaro was used as a location
in the 1981 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brideshead Revisited</i> TV
series adaptation as the home of Lord Marchmain (Laurence Olivier) and his
mistress; it was also used as a location in the 1997 film adaptation of <i>The
Wings of the Dove</i>.<u><sup><span style="color: blue;"></span></sup></u> The
Palazzo has recently undergone a full aesthetic and structural exterior
restoration.</span></span></div>
mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-48103774749166053242012-10-11T10:55:00.001-07:002012-10-11T10:55:15.300-07:00Sargent's Venetian Days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xJzLepfoMSuG_m_VsJ4pMj2aFj_d5v6b8lyzaUINmyMmfrUy5EZBiqfekHDWGUKJL0Nxq77p8NEWHfsgRKHIDZzFWtUjKFx6w93GRvwpeJIViklDAgqxtyuQYO40eIgt_Y0i6o9YMsaB/s1600/Venice+-+Day+1+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xJzLepfoMSuG_m_VsJ4pMj2aFj_d5v6b8lyzaUINmyMmfrUy5EZBiqfekHDWGUKJL0Nxq77p8NEWHfsgRKHIDZzFWtUjKFx6w93GRvwpeJIViklDAgqxtyuQYO40eIgt_Y0i6o9YMsaB/s320/Venice+-+Day+1+011.jpg" width="240" /></a>I was in Venice in September, and spent one precious afternoon walking through the <i>calles</i> (tiny narrow alleys) and the <i>campos</i> (plazas or squares, many of them tiny, just a large intersection of alleys), taking photos of places that reminded me of the many paintings Sargent created during his sojourns in Venice, a city he loved very much. Here's two samples of what I found, compared to one of my favorite Sargent oil paintings (Venetian Street Scene) and another watercolor below:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMrgXH_QxevyfJirpsC3B2LnPBD_PIjsocrj5Axvl6mnnsbJ8pxlC2EFEe84nfDzaW3fgTyBpNTxOVhGe2HzFpQppSTHgz-Yp25W3B-LDZhXn1JyF6o6ok33HJ1iM9G9IHIm7_S2rQrRl/s1600/A_Street_in_Venice.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMrgXH_QxevyfJirpsC3B2LnPBD_PIjsocrj5Axvl6mnnsbJ8pxlC2EFEe84nfDzaW3fgTyBpNTxOVhGe2HzFpQppSTHgz-Yp25W3B-LDZhXn1JyF6o6ok33HJ1iM9G9IHIm7_S2rQrRl/s320/A_Street_in_Venice.JPG" width="238" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvMlE94OSGMJ0jC-z2lgceFanw5AlsoXplmBNIGBd-3O2SInEoMqPJflTXyJ78HUAOAEwNQez1zQc_5V2GQtg7hcMYuAZwSakt652tQlfcda1-T4OYajZM9YyohyC2NZGfQtktWOcMlb/s1600/CSantAgnese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvMlE94OSGMJ0jC-z2lgceFanw5AlsoXplmBNIGBd-3O2SInEoMqPJflTXyJ78HUAOAEwNQez1zQc_5V2GQtg7hcMYuAZwSakt652tQlfcda1-T4OYajZM9YyohyC2NZGfQtktWOcMlb/s320/CSantAgnese.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<br />mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656655120559040924.post-67913945362861172632012-10-03T15:48:00.000-07:002012-10-03T15:52:03.876-07:00What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been...<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My second historical novel--<i>Portraits of an Artist</i>, about John Singer Sargent--is about to be published. It will be available in February 2013, to be specific, both online and in bookstores. My publisher is The Sand Hill Review Press of San Mateo, California. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It has been a long and interesting journey that started fifteen years ago when I saw a major exhibit of Sargent's works at the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. As I start this blog about my novel, the artist and his art, I want to show you the painting that was the beginning of it all for me: <i>Portraits d'Enfants</i>, also known as <i>The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit. </i>I hope you keep coming back for more, as there is a lot more to see.</span><br />
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This portrait was painted in 1883. I stood in front of this painting for a very long time, and came back to it again and again--there was a mystery here, I felt it very deeply--and then I later read a single sentence about the Boit girls attributed to Sister Wendy Beckett of PBS Art fame, “There’s something sad about the picture, and when I
discovered that these four pretty, wealthy girls never married, not one of
them, one begins to feel that Sargent had intuited something of that….” </div>
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I said to myself, I have to write a novel about them, some day. But what started out as a story about the four daughters became instead a story about the artist and his portraits during a very intense, deeply creative time in his life: Paris, 1882-1884, when he painted not only this unique portrait, but also others whose stories are worth investigating....<i>more to come.</i></div>
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<br />mfbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02422978541434328698noreply@blogger.com1