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John Singer Sargent: Romance, Drama, and the Visual World

Virtual Program in Two Parts

Part I features early works, including his infamous portrait Madame X. Part II reveals how he recovered from near ruin by becoming a portraitist for wealthy & prominent English & American families.

John Singer Sargent was an American artist who spent most of his life in Europe. He painted two United States Presidents, the aristocracy of Europe, the uber-wealthy of America, and mythological heroes. But he also painted gypsies, tramps, street children, hard-working laborers, as well as the horrors of war. And he created dazzling landscapes—a visual chronicle of the places he visited. 

Part I of this talk will feature many works from his early career in Paris when his infamous portrait Madame X caused a scandal at the Paris Salon. Part II will reveal how Sargent recovered from near ruin by gaining popularity as a portraitist among wealthy and prominent families in England and America. He then reinvented himself as a muralist, creating cycles of classical and allegorical subjects for public buildings. Sargent’s creative versatility had a lasting impact on the art world, and in this talk, we will experience many of his brilliant paintings, luminous watercolors, and monumental murals.

About the Presenter: Janet Mandel taught in New Jersey’s public schools for 32 years, the last eighteen of which were at Columbia High School in Maplewood, where she taught English, art history, and World Languages and Cultures. In October of 2003 she was named runner-up for the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) Teacher of the Year award and was formally recognized by the New Jersey State Legislature and Governor Codey for this achievement. In May of 2004 she was the recipient of the “Innovations in Special Education Award” from the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and the Association of Schools and Agencies for the Handicapped (ASAH). Now retired, Janet presents illustrated talks on a variety of art history topics at adult schools, libraries, museums, senior centers, community centers, and similar venues.

This presentation and all Roxbury Library programs are made possible by the Friends of the Roxbury Public Library.  It will be hosted by the Kemmerer Library.  

Register online or by calling the library at (973) 584-2400.  the virtual link will be sent to you the day before the program.