VTS Recap: Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent
Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent, 1885, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA, USA, Wikipedia
Last week we had a VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies) discussion about this painting currently on display at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA, USA.
Who is Isabella Stewart Gardner?
Isabella Stewart Gardner, 1888, Wikipedia
Born Isabella Stewart, 1840, New York City
Daughter of a wealthy linen merchant
Married Jack Gardner, 1860, businessman & philanthropist
Founded the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, 1903
In 1865, Isabella and Jack’s son, who was just under 2 years old, died of pneumonia. Isabella fell into severe depression and was prescribed travel (I know, such a very privileged prescription). She had to be carried on a stretcher onto a ship. She and Jack spent a year traveling and collecting art and antiquities all over Europe and the Middle East, all the while being inspired by architecture that would later inform her design for her museum.
Isabella, the badass
Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzie Lee, 2018, Abrams Image
Isabella is 1 of the 52 badass broads (both cisgender and transgender women) in Mackenzie Lee’s book Bygone Badass Broads. And, by the way, this is an awesome book—an entertaining and easy read (you can read about each woman in 5-10 minutes) that is beautifully illustrated by Petra Eriksson. These women are from all different times and from all across the globe. Some were spies, some warriors, some talented artists and musicians who changed the face of their industries—all were badasses who challenged norms and stereotypes.
And Isabella was definitely a badass. She was a Boss who did what she pleased at a time and place (19th century Boston) where women, especially women “of a certain class,” were expected to be modest, quiet, subservient, and all that other BS.
Some things she did won’t seem shocking to us now, but made her a constant figure in Boston gossip, including:
smoking cigarettes
riding a motorcycle
inviting the Harvard football team over to party when they beat Yale
holding boxing matches in her home
building and opening a museum (not your typical socialite move)
going out to lunch with men other than her husband, including John Singer Sargent
She was called a “collector of both art and men” (though most agree this was not meant in a sexual or romantic way) and the author, Henry James remarked that “she is not a woman, she is a locomotive.”
“C’est mon plaisir” plaque at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Above the door to her museum is a plaque that reads, “C’est mon plaisir” or “It is my pleasure.” Women in Edwardian times were not supposed to have, let alone talk about, pleasure.
Side note: “Edwardian” refers (in the West… i.e., America & Europe) to the decade of 1900–1910 when Edward VII was King of England. It was known for excesses, elegance, and strict social rules (for the wealthy).
Isabella was constantly surrounded by and supported countless artists, poets, musicians, and other creatives who often took up residence in her home and then in her museum. Many of these artists were on the fringes of society and were looked down upon, including people who were LGBTQ+ or “beneath her station” (a.k.a. poor or lower class).
The “Queen of Back Bay” or “Lady Jack” was often in the papers, including for things like taking lions for walks at the zoo. By actual accounts, Rex the lion was toothless (and probably didn’t look nearly as fierce as this illustration from the Boston Globe). Speaking of this illustration, just look at the eyes of that little girl in the front… so judgy.
Illustration from “Mrs. Jack’s Latest Lion,” Boston Globe, 31 January 1897, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
She did little to correct any false rumors or to explain herself, saying famously, “Don’t ruin a good story with the truth.” Yes ma'am!
Who is John Singer Sargent?
John Singer Sargent is considered by many to be the "leading portrait painter of his generation” and was eagerly sought out by Edwardian elite across the globe. He was a prolific artist who painted around 900 oil and over 2,000 watercolor paintings, plus created countless sketches and charcoal drawings.
He had a signature style that is still emulated by painters today of drawing with the brush and mixing colors on the canvas, rather than carefully doing understudies and mixing colors on a palette. This technique is very difficult, but if done well, gives an immediacy and spontaneity to the work that is akin to impressionism.
Portrait of Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) by John Singer Sargent, 1884, Wikipedia
Sargent’s most controversial work was painted in 1884 and is the very reason that Isabella commissioned the portrait we’ve been discussing (you may notice some similarities between the two). Portrait of Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau), often referred to simply as Madame X, is now considered his best painting and was Sargent’s own favorite. But it was received with extreme negativity at the time of its unveiling at the famous Salon in Paris that Sargent soon moved to London (though he never said that was the exact reason) and he told a friend he was contemplating retirement from painting to pursue music or business.
A quote from French poet, translator, and historical novelist, Judith Gautier, nicely sums up the furor over Madame X, “Is it a woman? a chimera, the figure of a unicorn rearing as on a heraldic coat of arms or perhaps the work of some oriental decorative artist to whom the human form is forbidden and who, wishing to be reminded of woman, has drawn the delicious arabesque? No, it is none of these things, but rather the precise image of a modern woman scrupulously drawn by a painter who is a master of his art.”
I can only imagine how excited Isabella was when she saw this painting and heard just how much it had been both hated and talked about. She contacted Sargent soon after to come to America and paint her.
What is the history and significance of this painting?
Besides its subject, Isabella, and the artist, John Singer Sargent, this painting is an interesting commentary on what it meant to be a woman at the time, mostly because of the way it caused a stir. So much so that Jack asked Isabella to please not display it. She respected his wishes and hid it from view until his death.
What was the fuss? Well, she’s showing quite a lot of skin compared to how women were supposed to dress at the time. Her mouth is slightly open, which was just far too close to anything sensual for Edwardian sensibilities. She’s also heavily jeweled, and both her jewelry and hands draw the eye down to parts of the body that women were supposed to deny ever existed. The real clincher for many was probably the halo that the background makes around her head. This was far too close to depictions of Mary.
She did little to assuage the contempt in these religious comparisons by her placement of this painting in her museum. She placed it prominently in what is called the “Gothic” room, which is full of priceless religious relics and artwork from around the world. In fact, a small table and chair invite you to sit and admire “The Presentation of the Christ Child in the Temple” by Italy’s Giotto (1320). If you look just over that piece, there is Isabella, open mouth and all.
“Gothic” Room at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA. USA
Was she an egomaniac who really thought herself as high and mighty as Mary? I don’t think so. I think she loved to cause a ruckus and probably got a good giggle each time she saw this painting in this room (I know I do).
What were some things that were noticed during the VTS session?
“This woman looks wealthy and like she’s greeting guests to a party or event”
Evidence: Jewelry and fancy clothing imply wealth, she seems to be standing with her hands clasped as if waiting patiently up against what may be a wall with wallpaper
“She looks sad like she is at a funeral”
Evidence: She is dressed in black and is dressed up (not casual) as you might be if you are going to a funeral; she looks sad because there is some redness around her eyes and she looks as if she’s about to cry
“This woman is holding back emotions, and she wants to say something or is about to say something”
Evidence: Her mouth is slightly opened as if she’s about to speak, she looks like she is being restrained because of her stiff posture and the tight corset she’s wearing that is altering her body shape in an unnatural way
“The background is a rug or perhaps ornamental wallpaper, and it makes a sort of halo of lightness around her head, so maybe she is important, revered, or respected”
Evidence: The repeating pattern and ornate forms and lines remind me of old wallpaper or rugs that I’ve seen; the light circular area around her head looks like a halo that you may see in religious paintings, especially of Mary
“She is pregnant and tired”
Evidence: She’s holding her hands around her belly like you might expect a pregnant woman to and her eyes look red like she’s tired and hasn’t gotten enough sleep
What do you see in this painting?
