John Singer Sargent at the National Portrait Gallery

I went to this yesterday - I booked the last time slot on the last day of the exhibition. I think the staff had just decided to let everyone in because it was incredibly crowded, but there was a lovely hushed atmosphere among the crowds (of course, lots of people have those audio commentary things). The lighting was dim apart from the subtle lighting showing the pictures to best advantage, and it did remind me of going to church on a particularly Holy day.

Oh what beautiful pictures! Mainly of men, friends of the artist, often his fellow-artists like Monet and Rodin, and some musicians like Faure. (This blog programme does not have e acute.) There were many other musicians I have never heard of.

The interesting thing about John Singer Sargent was that he was a very international man. His parents were American but he was brought up in Italy and other countries as his parents lived economically in various European countries. He went to Art School in Paris and was happy making his name in France until his portrait of Madame X caused a scandal; he made her look too sexually available for a married woman. He came to the UK and seems to have liked life here, and he also made a series of paintings of his fellow artists in Italy. So he was in two senses a man of the world. You get the impression of someone who networks well and knows everyone worth knowing and has understood his business really well, but the paintings have this wonderful shine to them, and the way he renders black coats, for example, is lovely. Because this exhibition is only of portraits it probably doesn't do Singer Sargent justice as a painter in the round. He painted his own way, and although he rather wanted to be an impressionist like Monet, he was more old school, like an Old Master with some new American pizzazz. His pictures seem to show how much he liked drama.

Portrait of Carolus Duran

Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth -This is actually full-length - a very fine picture and likeness

Monet painting - in the style of Monet!

Robert Loui Stevenson - so thin! - and his wife.