Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X

by Deborah Davis

Book Overview

The subject of John Singer Sargent's most famous painting was twenty-three-year-old New Orleans Creole Virginie Gautreau, who moved to Paris and quickly became the "it girl" of her day. A relative unknown at the time, Sargent won the commission to paint her; the two must have recognized in each other a like-minded hunger for fame.

Unveiled at the 1884 Paris Salon, Gautreau's portrait generated the attention she craved-but it led to infamy...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158542336X
• ISBN13: 9781585423361
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Tarcherperigee
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Couldnt finish it

I would not reccomend this book. The subject was intresting but the writer must not of had someone to proofread her work before publication, and if she did shame on them. Each time she mentioned a place or person there would be a paragraph long side note about what it looked like or a short biogrophy of there life. Just bits of usless information that had nothing to do with the story. I am all for a storyteller paintimg a picture of where things occurd but this author does it so excessivly that it becomes redundant and borring. Im going to attempt another book on this subject but i will never try readi g something from this author again.

Excellent Biography

STRAPLESS is an excellent work of scholarship, combining biographies of two unrelated people whose stories always will be entwined in popular theory. Here, author Deborah Davis traces the lives of artist John Singer Sargent and the subject of his most famous painting, Madame X. Madame X was a renowned beauty in late 19th century Paris named Virginie Gautreau. Oddly, both Sargent and Gautreau were American ex-patriates, and Davis does an excellent job of describing the American colony in Paris at that particular time. At the moment of its completion, in the portrait of Virginie, her gown had a strap depicted as falling off her shoulder. So decadent was this considered, so blatantly alluding to things sensual, that the portrait caused a scandal. Sargent then was considered a rising star and both he and Virginie expected this portrait to solidify their places among the stars of the Belle Epoque. Yet luster would not be added to either of their reputations, not even after Sargent had re-painted the strap into its proper place. Sargent fled to England, where his prestige slowly recovered. Gautreau, however, remained a virtual outcast of society as a consequence of the negative reaction. Over the decades, Sargent has remained famous, while Virginie's actual name has fallen into obscurity. And if Davis had not decided to step in and tell the whole tale, Virgine probably would have remained obscure. STRAPLESS shows marvelous research about a fascinating moment in time.

"The unpaintable beauty and hopeless laziness..."

The title of this review refers to something John Singer Sargent wrote in a letter when he was attempting to complete the "Madame X," painting. He was having a great deal of difficulty in deciding what pose Madame Gautreau should adopt for the painting. It didn't help that the 24 year old woman appeared to suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder: she hated to hold a pose. She was rich, she was young, and, well, she had other things to do! I have to admit that when I read on the book jacket that "Deborah Davis is a writer and veteran film executive...",I was a bit put off. I thought, "Oh, this is going to be presented in a 'Hollywood' way, with a lot of style but no substance." Well, shame on me. Ms. Davis (who admits she is not an art "expert") has written a very good book. Although the book is relatively brief, the author covers a lot of ground. Even though the book is not meant to be a biography of Sargent, we still get a pretty good feel for what the man was like: sensitive, intelligent, ambitious, lonely and sexually conflicted. Sargent had already made a pretty good name for himself before he painted Amelie Gautreau. By painting a celebrated beauty, however, he was going for the brass ring - he was hoping to become even more well known and to generate more commissions for portraits of the rich and famous. When Ms. Davis talks about the actual public display of the painting at the 1884 Paris Salon, she also is quite good. We learn about the quirks of a culture where it was perfectly fine to have acres of naked flesh cavorting in a historical painting, but it was scandalous to have a fallen shoulder strap if you were painting a real, contemporary woman. Although this is not an academic work, it is still fascinating from a psychological/sociological standpoint. While Sargent was working on the portrait, Amelie (and her mother) thought it was wonderful. However, after the critics trashed it (and the public found it immoral), mother and daughter wanted nothing more to do with it. Sargent kept the painting because Amelie Gautreau wouldn't buy it. She had wanted fame, but not of this sort. Sargent had to "re-group" and for later Salons came up with paintings that were non-controversial but still showed off his virtuosity. After awhile the scandal was forgotten and Sargent was back in vogue. (In a classic case of "Be careful what you wish for, you might get it," in later years Sargent was so much in demand for portraits that he no longer wanted to do them. As Ms. Davis writes, "Sargent derisively spelled the word 'paughtrait,' and declared 'No more mugs!' to whoever would listen.) As Amelie Gautreau got older, and as the public forgot about her, she, sadly, began longing for any kind of fame. She commissioned other portraits, none of which could measure up to Sargent's. In 1891, in a pictorial shout for attention, she had Gustave Courtois do a portrait of her: she posed in a white gown (rather than the black gown she had worn for Sargent), with, yes,

Davis has painted a vibrant and luminous picture!

As an artist and a art historian, I was very pleased to get new insight into the story behind the painting Madame X and the people and places that surrounded her creation. As in The DaVinci Code, many mysteries were uncovered in an intriquing way (but without all of the running around). Bravo for writing a book that is accessible to artists and laypeople alike. Davis has painted a picture of the process the artist goes through when making decisions that remain on the canvas years after the artist and model are long gone. Worth taking the time to read the story and to see the beautiful reproductions of Sargent's paintings.

I Didn't Think I'd Enjoy It!

Not one to normally pick up such a book, I was very pleased to find that I found the subject matter presented in such an interesting and informed manner, that I read the book in one sitting! I'm a guy who appreciates art; but I didn't usually think much about what's behind a particular painting. Ms. Davis has opened my mind to the wonderful personalities and behaviors of not only artists but also their subjects. Clearly,her book has made me more appreciative and sensitive to artists and their lives. The other facinating thing about the book was the careful setting of the times and lifestyles of both New Orleans and Paris, places I have visited. Ms. Davis is a careful researcher and a beautiful writer. This is a book I am happy to pass on to close friends.

Beauty secrets revealed!

A fascinating, well researched view of the perfumed and indulgent world of a society beauty whose charisma captured one of the greatest artists of the nineteenth century. STRAPLESS gives Amelie Gautrea her rightful name, and reveals her notorious secrets, while offering an interesting history of Sargeant's early career. A riveting story!