Guest Post by Emma Siddoway, Marketing/PR Intern
Considered the “leading portrait painter of his generation”, John Singer Sargent was born of American parents, but lived his life as an expat, training in Paris at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts before heading to London where he lived and worked the remainder of his life. He painted portraits of the elite such as Joseph Chamberlain, Henry James, the young daughters of Edward Darley Boit, and numerous bourgeois madames. His ability to capture the simplistic reality of life made his subjects relatable and almost familiar to the viewer, regardless of his or her class upbringing. The works of Sargent fall under the camp of Realism, a movement closely followed by the Impressionists. The stylistic bluntness of his paintings demonstrate the early, almost-impressionistic brushstrokes he employed. Luckily, the BYU Museum of Art was able to purchase one of these impactful works with funds provided by Jack R. and Mary Lois Wheatley. The particular work we have the pleasure of placing in our permanent collection is Sargent’s Mrs. Edward Goetz. The composition depicts a widow from victorian England wrapped in a white shawl which contrasts starkly against her all-black ensemble. During the Victorian Era, the procedure of a widow’s wardrobe was extremely regimented as well as dependent on the time-elapsed after her husband’s death. The viewer can assume that Mr. Edward Goetz has been deceased for at least two years at the time of the commission because his widow has begun to wear clothing of different materials and colors other than her regular black-wear. Equipped with this information it is impossible to view the painting without noticing the serene dignity the subject employs. Here, Sargent captures the soft sadness in the eyes of a woman who has endured years of mourning. Though the fortitude of the initial loss is depleted with time, its impact remains present. Yet there is a gentle strength that confronts the viewer through the subject’s gaze, as if demonstrating her emotional stalwartness. Sargent uses his painterly brushstrokes and Impressionistic style to elevate the sitter. Though the majority of his portraits focus on the beauty of young socialites, his portrayal of the aged widow is done in such a delicate way that the viewer can almost see the memories of her youth through her eyes.
Mrs. Edward Goetz is currently on display in the exhibition Shaping America.