A distinction between sprezzatura and bravura , a dazzling display of virtuosity , may be observed by comparing Sargent with the fashionable Italian-French society portraitist Giovanni Boldini ( 1842-1931 ), fourteen years his senior . The portrait of the French actress and courtesan Marthe de Florian ( 1898 ) by Boldini ( one of her string of famous lovers ) displays his familiar fanciful , bold , and vigorous brushwork , which gave him the moniker the “ Master of Swish .” But whereas Sargent sought to capture the person , Boldini ’ s paintings of women in particular seem less like portraits of individuals than of ladies cast into a mold of a frivolous , sexy , and sensuous type .
Sargent ’ s economical virtuosity and lack of affectation are especially evidenced in his many watercolors , where he stands at the very pinnacle of the art . As the leading Sargent expert Richard Ormond put it , “ The swiftness of the brushwork gave his work the immediacy of life itself . Sargent ’ s self-confidence and technical powers enabled him to seize the essence of a subject directly and succinctly . He never wasted a stroke , and he used whatever means lay at hand to achieve his effects : stopping out , sponging , wax resist , wet-on-wet , gouache highlights , scratching out . Improvisation and experiment were the keys to a style that was constantly evolving .”
Giovanni Boldini Portrait of Marthe de Florian 1888 oil on canvas Size unknown Private collection
He traveled widely on regular sketching tours , from the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean and the Near East , often with family and friends . His self-confidence was tempered and thoughtful . One who remembers watching him work told how , once he had chosen a subject and had his tools all set out , he “ would make moan over the difficulty of the subject and say , ‘ I can ’ t do it ,’ or ‘ It ’ s unpaintable ,’ and finally , ‘ Well , let ’ s have a whack at it .’”
John Singer Sargent
Gourds 1908 watercolor on paper 14 x 20 ” Brooklyn Museum
Scuola di San Rocco c . 1903 14 x 20 ” Private collection
Villa di Marlia , Lucca : A Fountain 1910 watercolor on paper 16 x 20 ” Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Spanish Fountain 1812 watercolor on paper 21 x 13 x 3 / 4 ” Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York
On the Grand Canal c . 1907 watercolor on paper Private collection
40 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE