John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo, 1882

Ole! The man tilts his head back and yells. Everyone spell bound by the beautiful dancer in the middle of the room. The dance has reached its height, as the audience is unable to turn away. This is El Jaleo, painted in 1882 by John Singer Sargent. The painting engulfs the viewer in its gigantic dimension - 93 x 138 inches, to be exact.

The scene focuses on the elegant and poised dancer, clad in Sargent’s famous white. She uses her skirt to mirror a matador’s cape. The room exudes sexuality and pride of being. The woman and men all succumb to the rhythmic steps of the dance, and unable to take their eyes of the fiery woman in the center. The low light illuminating the room only adds to the dream like quality of the painting. It's a beauty.

Sargent had accomplished his goal with this painting. He wished to bring his experience of the dance onto canvas. The scale of the painting gives the viewer a wonderful look into the art of Flamenco. Throughout his life, Sargent has a fascination with Spanish music and culture. Sargent loved the concept behind this painting, and was incredibly proud to display it at the Salon. His passion for art and dance collide in this as Sargent’s tells people to look beyond his portraiture career, The feeling in the painting is contagious; there is a care-free air about the entire thing. Although the figures are intense, they simply are absorbed in what they are doing. They, like Sargent, have fallen in love with this moment in time.