Introduction
John Singer Sargent, an American expatriate artist, was one of the greatest oil portrait painting artists of all time. In Paris, London, and New York, Singer was famous for his oil paintings of high-society figures. The colorful impressionist brushwork and unorthodox stylistic approaches he used to capture his sitters' personas and reputations transformed the long-standing practice of portrait painting. Beyond oil portrait painting Sargent also painted impressionistic landscapes en plein air alongside his friend Claude Monet, widening his artistic interests beyond portraiture.
John Singer Sargent was a prolific painter and oil portrait painting artist. Over his lifetime he created more than 900 oil portrait paintings and oil paintings. The following are considered the best examples of his oil portrait paintings.
The 20 best oil portrait paintings by John Singer Sargent:
20. Self-portrait by John Singer Sargent
The famous collection of artists' self-portraits housed in Florence's Vasari Corridor, which connects the Uffizi Gallery with the Palazzo Pitti, dates to the Renaissance period. They feature a wide range of European art's greatest names.
Sargent was among the first Americans to be asked to submit a self-portrait. He approached this honor with zeal.
Sargent was not naturally self-reflective; the three self-portraits in oils that he completed were all commissions from others. The Uffizi self-portrait is the largest and most imposing of these. Formally dressed Sargent wears his Légion d'honneur pin (represented by a small red dab at left) to symbolize his international success. His solemn expression befits the work's prestigious destination.
Self Portrait by John Singer Sargent 1906 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Self Portrait
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1906
Physical Dimensions: 27.5 inches x 20.87 inches (69.8 cm x 53 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Soprintendenza Speciale Per Il Polo Museale Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
19. Mrs. Charles E. Inches (Louise Pomeroy) by John Singer Sargent
Sargent made his first trip to the United States as a working artist in 1887. Sargent painted over a dozen formal portrait paintings in New York, Newport, and Boston. Sargent made the portrait painting of Louise Pomeroy Inches of Boston during this trip. Louise Inches was a well-known society hostess and the mother of two young sons. She was pregnant with her third child at the time she posed for Sargent in a daring red evening gown.
Sargent focused on his sitter's face and elegantly attenuated neck, painting her dress and arms more hastily. The three-quarter length format, blank background, and slightly turned pose are reminiscent of French eighteenth-century oil portraits, which Sargent admired.
According to a critic for the Boston Evening Traveller, the portrait painting was "one of the most brilliant pieces of coloring that have been painted since the days of Titian."
Her demure expression and poise contrast with her brilliant crimson evening gown and daring décolletage such that, she personifies the bold innocence that contemporary writers find quaintly American.
Mrs. Charles E. Inches (Louise Pomeroy) 1887 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Mrs. Charles E. Inches (Louise Pomeroy)
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1887
Physical Dimensions: 34 inches x 23.87 inches (86.36 cm x 60.64 cm)
Medium: oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, US
18. The 9th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their two sons by John Singer Sargent
The family painting depicts the 9th Duke of Marlborough, Charles Spencer-Churchill Consuelo Vanderbilt, the 9th Duchess of Marlborough, and their two sons, John Spencer-Churchill and Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill. The portrait painting is exhibited in Blenheim Palace's Red Drawing Room. Fun fact, controversial British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a hero to the British and villain to the Indians, came from this family.
9th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their two sons, 1905 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: The 9th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and their two sons
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1905
Physical Dimensions: 130.98 inches x 94.02 inches (332.7 cm x 238.8 cm)
Medium: oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, UK
17. Bedouins by John Singer Sargent
Sargent regarded this powerful portrait painting of two men as the centerpiece of his Bedouin watercolors. During the early stages of his career, his early critics were attracted by the expressive power of the carefully delineated faces, enhanced by the vivid blue color of the kaffiyeh. Sargent described the figures with the broad, expressive handling that characterizes the Bedouin subjects, including details like the curved khanjar (daggers) in the main figure's belt.
Bedouins (1905-1906) (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Bedouins
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1905-1906
Physical Dimensions: 18 inches x 12 inches (45.7 cm x 30.5 cm)
Medium: Portrait painting in watercolor
Location: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, US
16. Oil portrait of John D. Rockefeller by John Singer Sargent
This was Sargent's second oil portrait of the eminent personality and industrialist John Rockefeller. The second portrait painting of Rockefeller, painted in 1917, is a notable concept that endows the frail old man with the character of a visionary. His clothes hang limply on him, as he sits in a chair corner, arms and legs crossed, gazing upwards with an inward illumination. Sargent uses religious iconography to make Rockefeller a saintly figure. The head, caught in a strong light beam, stands out against the shadowed background. The expression on his face reveals a vulnerability and compassion that belies Rockefeller's fearsome reputation in the business arena of the time.
John D. Rockefeller 1917 (Image Credits: Wikicomms.org)
Title: John D. Rockefeller
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1917
Physical Dimensions: 58 inches x 45 inches (1473 cm x 114.3 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Senator and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller IV, US
15. The Wyndham Sisters: Lady Elcho, Mrs. Adeane, and Mrs. Tennant by John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent created the portrait painting of the Wyndham Sisters: Lady Elcho, Mrs. Adeane, and Mrs. Tennant in 1899. It is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. Critics praised the oil portrait painting. Prince Charles (later King Edward VII) dubbed it "The Three Graces".
The three daughters of the Honourable Percy Wyndham, a British politician and younger son of George Wyndham, 1st Baron Leconfield, appear in this monumental canvas portrait painting. Madeline Adeane (1869-1941), Pamela Tennant (1871-1928), and Lady Elcho are shown from left to right (1862–1937).
Sargent painted them in the drawing room of their family's Belgrave Square home. George Frederic Watts' portrait painting of their mother can be seen on the wall above them, establishing their ancestry and reminding viewers of Sargent's ties to older artists.
The Wyndham Sisters (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: The Wyndham Sisters: Lady Elcho, Mrs. Adeane, and Mrs. Tennant
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1899
Physical Dimensions: 115 inches x 84.12 inches (292.1 cm x 213.7 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, US
14. Portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt by John Singer Sargent
Sargent's Roosevelt, commissioned by the federal government as a way of farewell, is the official White House oil portrait of the twenty-sixth President.
In the middle of February 1903, John Singer Sargent stayed at the White House for a week to paint the oil portrait of the President. In many ways, the experience was perplexing for Sargent. Sargent found his eminent subject, the President's determination intimidating. Roosevelt's patience was tested when it came to selecting a suitable location for painting with good lighting. The artist agreed that no suitable room was on the first floor. When they started up the stairs, Roosevelt told Sargent that he didn't think the artist knew what he wanted. Sargent responded that he did not believe Roosevelt understood what it took to pose for a portrait.
Having just gotten to the landing, Roosevelt spun around, put his hand on the newel, and said, "Don't I!" Sargent saw an opportunity and told the President not to move; this would be the sitting pose and location for making the portrait painting. Sargent met with the President for half an hour after lunch for the next few days to make the portrait painting. Though Sargent wished he had more time, Roosevelt regarded the portrait as a complete success. According to a letter written to his son Kermit on February 19, he wrote, "This afternoon I had my last sitting with Mr. Sargent. I like his picture enormously." He adored it and continued to do so for the rest of his life.
Theodore Roosevelt 1903 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Theodore Roosevelt
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1903
Physical Dimensions: 58.13 inches x 40 inches (147.65 cm x 101.6 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: The White House, Washington DC, US
13. Almina Daughter of Asher Wertheimer by John Signer Sargent
Sargent's final oil portrait of the Wertheimer family. Almina Wertheimer was Asher Wertheimer's fifth child. In the oil portrait painting, she is shown as dressed in an exotic, 'oriental' costume, including an ivory-white Persian dress and a pearl-encrusted turban. The white and green over-jacket was a studio prop, and the musical instrument (a sarod from northern India) belonged to the artist. Such fantasy images of European women cast as alluring 'orientals' were popular at the turn of the twentieth century.
Almina Daughter of Asher Wertheimer 1908 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Almina Daughter of Asher Wertheimer
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1908
Physical Dimensions: 52.75 inches x 39.76 inches (133.98 cm x 100.99 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Tate Gallery, London, UK
12. Portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife (sitting, right) by John Singer Sargent
Since his early days in Paris, Sargent had known Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894). He created three oil portrait paintings of the famous author. The second, shown here, was made in Stevenson's home in Bournemouth, England, during the height of his literary career. The playful oil portrait painting captures Stevenson's nervous energy, which shows him "walking around and talking." He walks away from his wife, Fanny Stevenson (1840-1914), who is draped in exotic garb in the painting's periphery. The eccentric composition's central void is created by Sargent taking advantage of the distance between them. Stevenson praised the painting, saying it had "that witty touch of Sargent's, but of course, it looks dam queer as a whole."
Robert Louis Stevenson and His Wife 1885 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Robert Louis Stevenson and His Wife
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1885
Physical Dimensions: 20.23 inches x 24.25 inches (51.4 cm x 61.6 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, US
11. Mrs. Carl Meyer, later Lady Meyer, and her two Children by John Singer Sargent
The oil portrait painting of a mother with her children, Adèle Meyer (née Levis) with her daughter Elsie Charlotte and son Frank Cecil. Her banker husband was a Rothschild emissary and the chairman of De Beers. The oil painting's theatrical composition, with its plunging perspective, may reflect Mrs. Meyer's love of theatre and opera. Sargent created an image of opulence and unapologetic wealth by using studio props such as the wood paneling and Louis XV sofa, reflecting Adèle Meyer's social status.
Mrs. Carl Meyer, later Lady Meyer, and her two Children 1896 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Mrs. Carl Meyer, later Lady Meyer, and her two Children
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1896
Physical Dimensions: 79 inches x 52.75 inches (201.4 cm x 134 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Tate Gallery, London, UK
10. Mrs. Fiske Warren (Gretchen Osgood) and Her Daughter Rachel by John Singer Sargent
The oil portrait painting depicts Mrs. Fiske Warren (Gretchen Osgood) and Her Daughter Rachel. Gretchen Osgood Warren a well-known poet, posed with her eldest daughter at Isabella Stewart Gardner's Fenway Court in Boston.
Mrs. Fiske Warren (Gretchen Osgood) and Her Daughter Rachel 1903 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Mrs. Fiske Warren (Gretchen Osgood) and Her Daughter Rachel
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1903
Physical Dimensions: 60 inches x 40.37 inches (152.4 cm x 102.55 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Fine Arts Museums of Boston, USA
9. The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit by John Singer Sargent
When John Singer Sargent arrived in Boston in 1887, the Boit family welcomed him and immediately commissioned a portrait. Sargent created this oil portrait painting while in Paris; it was a pivotal composition in his early career.
The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit 1882 (Image Credit: Wikicommons.org)
Title: The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1882
Physical Dimensions: 87.6 inches x 87.6 inches (222.5 cm x 222.5 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, USA
8. Le Verre de Porto (A Dinner Table at Night) by John Singer Sargent
Sargent traveled to Sussex in 1884 to paint a full-length oil portrait painting of Edith Vickers. The oil painting depicts Edith Vickers sitting at a dinner table after supper. The flowers, glasses, and silverware on the table are exquisitely rendered to reveal the reflection and incorporation of the room's red lights. Albert Vickers is also partially painted near the canvas's edge. The use of dark tones and the unconventional style of his subjects suggest that Sargent got his inspiration from the works of his contemporaries like Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas.
Le Verre de Porto (A Dinner Table at Night) 1884 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Le Verre de Porto (A Dinner Table at Night)
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1884
Physical Dimensions: 20.25 inches x 26.25 inches (51.43 cm x 66.67 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, USA
7. The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy by John Singer Sargent
Wilfrid and Jane Emmet de Glehn, both professional artists and Sargent's frequent traveling companions are the couples in the oil portrait painting. Although The Fountain appears to be spontaneous, rain interrupted Sargent frequently and it took several days to complete, requiring his friends to pose for extended periods.
The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy 1907 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1907
Physical Dimensions: 28.12 inches x 22.25 inches (71.4 cm x 56.5 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: The Art Institute of Chicago, USA
6. Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood
The oil painting depicts Monet sitting at an easel, painting a landscape outside. This portrait is significant in the history of Impressionism because it depicts the French artist doing exactly what he advocated: painting directly from nature. It had a personal meaning for Sargent, who admired Monet because it commemorated their artistic relationship.
Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood 1888 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Claude Monet Painting by the Edge of a Wood
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1888
Physical Dimensions: 21.25 inches x 25.5 inches (54 cm x 65 cm)
Medium: Oil painting on canvas
Location: Tate Britain, London, UK
5. Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent
In December 1888, Ellen Terry played Lady Macbeth in Henry Irving's showcase of the acclaimed Shakespearean play at the London Lyceum. Sargent persuaded Terry to pose as Lady Macbeth for him. In the single-person oil portrait painting, he depicts Terry as she prepares to place a crown on her head following the murder of Duncan, the Scottish lord. Sargent was looking for a dramatic scene for his Lady Macbeth portrait. Terry's magnificent outfit was conceived by Alice Comyns Carr, a close friend of Sargent, who used green silk and blue tinsel embellished with a large number of scarab wings to make Terry's character resemble a snake.
Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth 1889 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1889
Physical Dimensions: 87 inches x 45.1 inches (221 cm x 114.5 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Tate Britain, London, UK
4. Lady Agnew of Lochnaw by John Singer Sargent
In the oil portrait painting, Lady Agnew is shown in a French Bergère from the eighteenth century. Sargent painted her in a three-quarter length canvas, wearing a white outfit with a silk mauve band around her midsection as an embellishment. The fabric behind her is bluish-colored Chinese silk. She has a straightforward expression and appears to be having a "close discussion" with the artist.
According to art historian Richard Ormond, the back of the seat is utilized as a "bending, supporting space to contain the figure, making an unmistakable, lazy elegance." Ormond and Kilmurray comment that she was recovering from the flu when she modeled for this portrait, which could explain her look of drowsiness.
Lady Agnew of Lochnaw 1892 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Lady Agnew of Lochnaw
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1892
Physical Dimensions: 50 inches x 40 inches (127 cm x 101 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, USA
3. El Jaleo by John Singer Sargent
Sargent was motivated by a five-month journey he took through Europe and North Africa in 1879. Sargent returned to Paris and began work on this massive oil painting canvas of 11.5 feet by 7.75 feet. The name El Jaleo alludes to the significance of the Jaleo dance. The oil painting combines the essence of Jaleo with bright lights, a dancing model, and dark colors.
El Jaleo 1882 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: El Jaleo
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1882
Physical Dimensions: 93 inches x 138 inches (237 cm x 352 cm)
Medium: Oil painting on canvas
Location: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, USA
2. Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent
The oil painting depicts two children lighting up Chinese lanterns in a garden. Sargent got the idea for the one-of-a-kind piece while on a boat trip with fellow painter Edwin Austin Abbey in 1885. Later Sargent visited his artist friend Francis David Millet at Farm House in Broadway, Worcestershire, where he began work on the oil painting. Sargent's progress was slow; he began working on the oil painting in September 1885 and finished it in October 1886. Sargent resolved to recreate the Pangbourne light effect, and he only painted for a few minutes every evening to do so.
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent 1885 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1885
Physical Dimensions: 68.5 inches x 60.5 inches (174 cm x 153.7 cm)
Medium: Oil painting on canvas
Location: Tate Britain, London, UK
1. Portrait of Madame X by John Singer Sargent
Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, an American expatriate, was a high-society woman known for her elegant appearance. Sargent painted her oil portrait as Madam X. Sargent painted her portrait at his request, highlighting her beauty and her daring personality and style.
The oil portrait painting created more controversy than appreciation at the Paris Salon of 1884 where it was originally exhibited with one of the shoulder epaulets (straps) of her gown fallen. Sargent repainted the epaulet. Later he sold it to the Metropolitan museum, he said, "I think it's the best thing I've ever done".
Portrait of Madame X 1884 (Image Credits: Wikicommons.org)
Title: Portrait of Madame X
Creator: John Singer Sargent
Date Created: 1884
Physical Dimensions: 92.5 inches x 43.25 inches (234.95cm x 109.86 cm)
Medium: Oil portrait painting on canvas
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, USA
Conclusion
As the work listed above shows, undoubtedly, John Singer Sargent was one of the greatest portrait painters of all time. The artist's career progressed in stages, with portraiture dominating sometimes and murals and landscapes at others. Sargent did not see himself as mainly a portrait painter, and the varied forms of art he practiced fed off each other to maintain a high level of creative energy.
Sargent was regarded as one of the Titans of an earlier generation by the time he died in 1925, as modernist art movements such as Expressionism took over much of the world including here in India. Within a few years, he was slighted and forgotten, accused of being nothing other than a fashionable portrait painter. Interest in his works again gathered strength in the 1950s and has steadily increased since then.
During his hay days, Sargent commanded about USD 5000 per portrait painting or about USD 130,000. Many of his patrons used to travel long distances from the US to the UK, where Sargent's studio stood to have their portraits done.
Fortunately, in modern times, you don't have to travel large distances to have your portrait painting done. Thanks to the wanderers of the internet and techniques of photorealism or the art of making a portrait painting from a photo, you can order a portrait painting on sites like Paintphotographs.com. And they are more affordable than ever.
A client sitting in the United States or the Middle East, such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, or Oman, can commission a custom handmade portrait painting artwork, and the artist will execute the commission in his studio and after approval by the client deliver the portrait painting to the desired address. Whether you live in New York, California, Los Angeles, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, or Muscat, it's like having an artist always nearby.
Custom handmade oil portrait paintings make for memorable gifts like a wedding portrait painting or an engagement portrait or a housewarming gift. And commemorative, like memorial portrait painting. Talented artists can also create composite oil painting portraits from two or more reference photos and pics. Similarly, they can also create pet portrait paintings or create new portrait paintings from blurry old black-and-white photos.
If you wish to order a custom handmade oil portrait painting or an oil painting you can visit our order now page. To know the prices you can visit our pricing page. To see our work you can visit our gallery pages. To connect with us ping us on our chat messenger on the website or ping us on Whatsapp or call us 918291070650 or drop us an email at support@paintphotographs.com
For further reading, you may refer to the notes and reference section
Notes & reference section
https://archive.org/details/johnsingersargen00sarg/mode/1up
Theodore Roosevelt - White House Historical Association
John Singer Sargent | Museum of Fine Arts Boston
John Singer Sargent 1856–1925 | Tate
Category: John Singer Sargent - Wikimedia Commons
John Singer Sargent | Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) | American | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
