John Singer Sargent (1856-1929), Mrs. Edward Goetz, 1901, oil on canvas, 58 ½ x 42 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Jack R. and Mary Lois Wheatley, 2000.
On the occasion of John Singer Sargent’s birthday, we celebrate him as one of the greatest of American painters. Sargent executed this portrait one month before Mrs.Goetz died. Her elegant attire and regal pose attest to the ease and refinement of her privileged life. That she could sit for Sargent, a renowned society portraitist, confirms her wealthy status. Sargent’s renowned magical brush brilliantly captures the transparency of the shawl, the texture of the skirt, and the sparkle of the jewels. This painting, one of our greatest treasures, in currently on view in Becoming America.