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It's Volume 32, let's get into it!
This edition I went uptown to the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the John Singer Sargent exhibit. I have been a Sargent fan for decades now, so much so back in my college days I made my own posters of his work using the school's plotter. If you aren't familiar with him and aren't watching the latest season of The Gilded Age, let's just say he's kind of having a moment right now.
Sargent was born in 1856 in Italy to American parents and spent his childhood in different parts of Europe where he learned to speak a multitude of languages. At 18 he went to Paris to study at the famed Ecole des Beaux-Arts where he grew not just in artistic talents but in his social network as well. Just three years later his career took off showing at the prestigious Paris Salon. From his student years in Paris, to his time in Spain and Venice, Sargent painted everything from scenic vistas to flattering portraitures. In an age where wealth and class were not limited to your birth, many of his clients sought to be painted by Sargent to establish their social rank.
The most attention any of his works received would be his Madame X . The term Parisienne had just been properly coined for the fascination of the modern fashionable Paris woman, and the French were quite reserved on who this applied to. Virginie Gautreau was a Paris expat like Sargent and the two collaborated together to seek further recognition in their new homes. The bold image showed Gautreau heavily made up as she did with her dress strap sliding off her shoulder (then repainted at her mother's request) was met with disdain and astonishment. Rather than being seen as the ultimate Parisienne, the French saw vain Americans. However Gautreau described the work as a "masterpiece" and Sargent sold the work to The Met citing it was "the best thing I've done".
The exhibit truly celebrates the vastness of Sargent's work from his early days into the highs of his later pieces. He painted with intellect and instinct and stuck true to his vision for better or for worse. Often I seek new artists and big sculptures, but it feels good to go back to art I have always loved. Seeing these paintings in person, it is the brush strokes that amaze me, no printed poster can compare. A show like this reminds me why the greats are the greats and sometimes you just need to see something great.
For this outing I started with a coverup to keep things easy and breezy but topped it with the Pembroke Top to keep it more put together. The cotton viscose fabric is so great on a hot day for its lightness and breathability. I did let the shirt hang off my shoulder from time to time for even more air flow. And since the coverup has a lot of volume I wore the Surrey Belt to give some shape at the waist. Mixed with buffalo leather and steel chain, the belt wraps twice around with a hook closure for adjustability.
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