Portrait of "Fanny" Watts
7:00 AM |
| John Singer Sargent, Portrait of Frances Sherbourne Ridley Watts, 1877 |
Sargent painted this portrait of Frances Watts, affectionately called Fanny, in 1877. She was a childhood friend, perhaps even a romantic interest; however more so than that, she was his ticket into the art world. At only 21 years old, Sargent and his portrait were accepted into the Salon and thrown into a world of fame and recognition. Judges and critics loved the portrait, calling it “charming” and “promising.”
The portrait embodied France’s aesthetic and stylistic values of the time. Fanny Watts’ ivory skin and coiffed hair appealed to French taste while distinguishing her as a lady of affluence. She looks in the direction of the viewer – or perhaps Sargent – with a coy gaze that French women have somehow perfected. Her position on the chair is telling of the modernity of the portrait. Unlike traditional portraits, where the subject is seated, straight-backed, and rigid, Sargent paints Fanny in the midst of raising herself up. Sargent often paid attention to the pose of his models. He often positioned them in unconventional ways, drawing attention to different aspects of the body. Her twisted torso and extended arm, paired with that coquettish gaze, evoke a sense of vivification. Although this portrait is conservative, that splash of red and shadow of knee hints at Sargent’s boldness that would soon surface in later paintings.
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