Scandal! Sargent and Madame X. Was it the Sparkling Rosé?

There are three actors in this drama. She was Virginie Amélie, Madame Pierre Gautreau, born in the U.S., a daughter of French planters who had returned to France from Louisiana during the American Civil War. Her marriage to Gautreau, a wealthy Parisian banker, combined with her beauty and style to boost her to the top of French high society in 1880s Paris. He was John Singer Sargent, another American, who was born in Florence, Italy, to American parents and raised mostly in Europe. Sargent, a young man in his 20s and a very talented artist, had come to Paris to make his name as a painter. And the third actor? Well Paris, of course, the City of Light, as it was known at that time. It was full of the fresh energy of the Impressionism of Monet, Renoir, Degas, and others. DeBussy presented his music that floated along with the light airy ambiance of those new paintings. This new energy even had its own poète du jour, Stéphane Mallarmé, a great friend to this revolutionary new art and its artists. All was bright, light, elegant, foie gras and champagne, Paris, Paris, Paris, and French, French, French.

Sargent was a man with a plan. Yes, one could spend years painting various and sundry rich clients. Profitable, yes, of course, it would be profitable, but why not just go for the top? The top was Virginie Amélie Gautreau, known as Amélie, the most beautiful woman in Paris at the time, and one who knew how to show it off. With a splendid figure (note the painting at the top of this page), she was known for having extremely pale skin, and dark hair with a touch of red to it. To highlight that dash of color, she would tint the tops of her ears with a rose pink powder. Being the wife of an extremely wealthy man, she was always finely dressed and made her appearance at all the most celebrated locales. However, most important of all in this story, she was American (of sorts) and so was Sargent (of sorts).

THE PLOT THICKENS

Well, how better to highlight your skills as a painter and flatter the woman most sought after by the portrait painters of that day than by showing off a beautiful painting of her, here, drinking a toast. It took Sargent two years to persuade her, but at last, where others had failed, Sargent gained her permission to paint a portrait of her. He proposed a painting that is tall and narrow (82″ x 40″), meaning that within that large space he could paint her life-size. She even let him come choose the dress that she would wear. He choose the black gown with the glimmering straps. Now, none of us were present as this painting was being planned, but it is speculated that for both of them, this was to be la piece de resistance, a showpiece to wow the whole of Paris.

In those days, the proper society portrait was quite restrained. See these examples below. The figure on the left is Mrs. Henry White, obviously a wealthy, elegant lady, who could afford to dress well and have Sargent show it off. Next to her is a picture of a Young Lady by Edouard Manet. The parrot is important here, as this was Manet’s finger wagging “tut, tut” response to Gustave Courbet’s sumptuous nude painting, Woman with a Parrot. Manet, of course, also painted nudes (see his Olympia). However, the women he and Courbet were representing in those nude paintings were not high society ladies, like Sargent’s Madame Gautreau.

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The public reaction had been quick and vicious. This painting, which was meant to be a homage to her great beauty, made her the laughingstock of Paris, as she was seen to be “ghastly pale,” flagrantly sexual, exaggerated in pose, and thoroughly inappropriate. Sargent’s commissions dried up immediately. At one point he considered stopping painting and taking up a career in music. Madame Gautreau’s celebrity crashed, and she literally withdrew from society, her days as the glamorous queen of beauty over.

Certainly it seems odd, that in Paris, where one would expect a more open attitude toward the sensual, that this fallen strap would cause such a furor, especially as the French are very proud of their reputation as lovers. Having lived in France for a number of years (which were among the happiest in my life), I am going to speculate here. The French love an elegant gesture, that little touch that captures the eye, titillates the senses, and elicits a cheeky smile, but they like it when they are the ones doing it. My feeling is that these two Americans, for as European as they were (one having French parents and the other growing up in Europe), were still considered a bit autre, other and outside. How dare they try to out-French, the French! For that attempt, they must pay.

While Madame Gautreau assumed a more sheltered life, having fallen from the heights, Sargent decided not to give up painting, thankfully. He, like the characters in Tale of Two Cities, just hopped across the Channel to London, where he began a prosperous career with this sensational painting – appropriately sensational this time.

As for the painting of Madame Gautreau, well, Sargent had to protect it from her family. Her mother wanted it destroyed. Sargent was concerned about Gautreau’s reputation, so he refused to show the painting again. When he sold it to the Metropolitan Museum in 1916, he did it under the condition that it would be named Madame X, to conceal the name of the woman whose portrait it was. However, the scandal never died. Sadly, Sargent said of the painting that he thought it was his best work.

For more on the scandalous Madame Gautreau, try “15 Salacious Facts About John Singer Sargent’s Portrait of Madame X” www.mentalfloss.com For a short video history of the painting, try Art Attack – John Singer Sargent Madame X. youtube.com.

The paintings discussed in this article are all in Public Domain.

Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler who loves art and wine. For more see Pages, ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com.

Summer’s Here! Time for Sparkling Rosé

Yes, I know that rosé can be consumed even in the depths of winter, but somehow that delicious pink color, the dry light flavor with its hint of strawberries, and those bubbles, all seem like a celebration of summer to me. Forgive me. It was last August when I first brought up the subject of rosé wine. (See “Straight Out of Provence” ofartandwine.com). From there you can learn the basics about it, for instance, that it is not just White Zinfandel or Blush wine or wine made from just blending red and white wines (though some rosé champagnes made that way are). For a quick visual primer, take a look at this short video to check out this Rosé Wine Guide, youtube.com.

Now, back to this seasonal business, of rosé being for spring and summer. Well, there is a certain logic to it, because the wine should be drunk within the first 18 months after harvest. In the northern hemisphere, that means that since the harvest is in August-September, the wines come to market in the spring, just in time for long days and balmy, even hot summer weather. The heat of those days does play rather well into serving a sparkling rosé or rosé champagne since it should be chilled to about 47-50 degrees. Be careful, though, not to get it too cold for that can change the taste by chilling your taste buds.

Then there is the matter of the proper glass. If you are a fan of the classic Hollywood movies of yesteryear, then you have seen those champagne glasses with the wide bowl. Lovely and elegant as they are, they allow too many of the bubbles to escape. Remember what Dom Perignon said when he first tasted sparkling wine, “I am tasting the stars!” That is exactly what you want to do, so you must have those bubbles well-encased in a tall narrow glass like the one at the beginning of this article. The other thing to be sure to do is open the bottle correctly. Yes, indeed there is a correct way, and not following it can waste a lot of the carbon dioxide that is responsible for the bubbles, not to mention how much can be wasted if the bottle overflows. However, I have just the thing, a primer of sorts on how to open champagne or sparkling wine the right way. See “You’re Doing It All Wrong” on youtube.com

SO WHAT DO YOU EAT WITH THIS STUFF?

One of the nicest things about rosé wines is that they are very food-friendly. That means they go with just about everything. The dry quality of rosé complements spicy food, fried dishes, even barbeque, and hot buttered popcorn. If one is presenting a toast to start off the evening along with soft cheeses, olives, thin slices of prosciutto, smoked salmon, and even a few berries (see above), then a toast made with a sparkling rosé is just what you need. Rosé has rather high acidity which makes it work well with every thing from heavy sauces to salads and seafood. When time comes for dessert, a sparkling rosé works especially well with fruit tarts or fresh berries covered in chocolate.

One way to get involved in the world of wines is to join a wine club. Cellars Wine Club offers a selection of wine clubs to fit every budget and every level of expertise. The “no bad bottle” return policy is a feature as is free shipping. As well they have a Give Back program that lets members have 15% of the purchase donated to one of the vetted charities offered. With Cellars you can drink good wine, feel good, and do good.

©marjorie vernelle 2020

Coming Soon: The Painted Allure of the Beach and Cool Summer Wines.

So it is summer and beach or no beach, it’s hot. One way to cool off, especially if there is no beach near, is to look at paintings that show a love of the sea and the beach. Whether sail boats in the Mediterranean or sunsets off the coast of California, paintings can take you on a mini-vacation. And of course, what goes better with a day at the beach than a picnic complemented by a cooler filled with wonderfully chilled wine.