Mary Cassatt , “ The Child ’ s Bath ,” 1893 for the first time . When he got back to Europe , he saw art in the Netherlands , Venice , and Spain . The last country , where he saw the work of Diego Velázquez , made a particularly strong impression on him . The great group portrait “ Las Meninas ” was an inspiration for Sargent ’ s early commission , “ The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit ,” which he painted when he was only 26 . Although the format is square , the four girls are pushed toward the lower left corner . The two youngest are bathed in light , while the older girls retreat into a shadow . One of them even has her head turned from the viewer .
It was Sargent ’ s parents who were expatriates . They had been living in Paris but were in Florence when their son John was born . He quickly showed an aptitude for drawing , and so they got him lessons and took him all over Europe to see the great art in museums and churches . He was educated at the École
74 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE des Beaux-Arts , but also studied with the painter Carolus- Duran , who favored a more spontaneous , painterly manner . His techniques were the basis of Sargent ’ s confident , flashy brushwork .
Travel stimulated Sargent . In 1876 , he visited the United States
The picture caused quite a stir when it was exhibited in Paris , but not as much as “ Portrait of Madame X ,” a depiction of a sultry young American woman in a black satin evening gown which , along with the dark background , contrasts starkly with her fashionably pale skin . Even the naughty Parisians denounced the sensual , haughty pose . They were especially shocked at the strap that originally hung down her arm . In the interests of propriety , Sargent repainted the strap in its proper place .
As if banished , Sargent relocated to London , where he remained , off and on , for the rest of his life . He took two trips to the States , where he met the great collector Isabella Stewart Gardner and the architects Stanford White and Charles McKim , whose Boston Public Library would later be adorned with Sargent ’ s magnificent murals . Back in London , he soon became the most in-demand portraitist in the world . A portrait by Sargent was the ultimate status symbol . The wealthy patrons got what they