John Singer Sargent - Life, Works & Painting Style | Great Artists Explained in 3 minutes!

John Singer Sargent is considered the most important American portrait painter. His clients included members of the upper classes, both in Europe and America. His works can be classified as Impressionist and American Renaissance.
He was born in Florence, Italy, in 1856 to wealthy American parents. His childhood was unusual, as his parents constantly traveled through Europe for health reasons. Sargent began his training with the German-American painter Charles Feodor Welsch at the age of thirteen and later continued it in Paris as a student of Carolus-Duran.
Sargent received positive reviews for his full-length portraits of women and was driven to establish himself as a portrait painter. He achieved various successes at the Salon de Paris.
He wanted to make his breakthrough as a French portrait painter there with his work Madame X, but this caused a scandal. Sargent then concentrated on British and American clients and established himself as an international portrait painter.
His work also documents his worldwide travels.
Sargent was a lifelong bachelor with a large circle of friends, including Oscar Wilde, Claude Monet and his possible lover Albert de Belleroche. However, it is also assumed that his relationships with his sitters degenerated into infatuation.
Sargent died of a heart attack in London in 1925 at the age of 69.
He was known above all for his impressive realism. He combined a masterful technique with a special ability to capture the personality and character of his models. His works are characterized by vivid colors, fluid brushstrokes and an extraordinary attention to detail.
In addition to portraits, he painted genre scenes, interiors, landscapes, cityscapes and religious compositions.
One of his greatest masterpieces is the portrait of Madame X. It shows the Parisian socialite Virginie Gautreau and caused a scandal in the Salon de Paris: women scoffed: There she is, the beauty, oh, how terrible! A painter exclaimed: The style and boldness are magnificent, what a drawing!
Despite the attempt to preserve anonymity through the title, she failed because of her fame. She demanded that the portrait be withdrawn. He defended himself by saying that he had painted her the way she dressed.
"El Jaleo" is another of Sargent’s masterpieces that had previously been well received at the Salon de Paris. It is a dramatic painting that perfectly captures the energy and vibrancy of the scene.
This well-known painting demonstrates his ability to masterfully depict light and atmosphere.
Sargent left behind an impressive life's work of over 900 paintings, some 2,000 watercolors and countless sketches and drawings. His ability to capture the essence of his time and his models makes him one of the most outstanding artists of his era.