Though American, both Whistler and Sargent worked and exhibited in Europe. Their patrons were often the wealthy industrialists who characterized the Gilded Age.
c. 1862 - 1900
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Childe Hassam, Horticulture Building, World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago
Celebrating America's place in the world
John Singer Sargent, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
Singer Sargent’s evocative canvas turns a sweet, ordinary scene into a symphony of shapes and colors.
John Singer Sargent, The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit
Sargent studied the work of Velázquez, and those lessons paid off in this painting of a Bostonian’s daughters.
John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo
This dramatic dance scene captures a moment in time on an enormous scale.
John Singer Sargent, Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)
It was all fun and games until the artist painted a woman’s bare shoulder and showed it to a scandalized public.
Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket
A critic accused Whistler of “flinging paint at the public” when he saw this painting, so Whistler sued him.
Whistler, Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl
Nothing says “I love you” like depicting your girlfriend as a “prop” without mood, personality, or expression!