Last weekend, we went to see the Sargent and Fashion exhibition at the Tate. The man was an absolute genius of an artist, these were some of the highlights of what was on display.

• The history of Madame X was pretty amusing, and the portrait is indeed astonishing - Sargent apparently said he “supposed it was the best thing [he] had ever done”, and that seems like a reasonable statement. I feel like the twisting tension in the right arm provides a lot of the dynamism and weight to what could otherwise have been a somewhat static pose.
• Miss Elsie Palmer was one of several relatively straightforward portraits that really looked like the subject could stand up and walk out of the frame, if they felt like it (though I don’t think Elsie could be bothered - an excellent capturing of teenage boredom).
• Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose is huge, and the warm glow of the lanterns is gorgeous against the muted, cool colours of the background. Was apparently worked on for over two years.
• The portrait of Dr Pozzi reminds me somewhat of the recent Charles portrait, or at least what it may have been trying to be. The highlights on the upper lace were strokes of pure white.
• Lady Agnew is absolutely captivating in person. The pose is subtly interesting, utterly relaxed, and yet poised at the same time. The colours in the dress and sash are beautiful.
• Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth is massive, significantly larger than life, with incredibly vibrant colours - the whole painting seems to glitter. It was displayed alongside (possibly a replica of) the dress that it pictures (I must admit to not paying much attention to the clothing on display), and the almost complete reworking of the colours was amazing to see. Sargent was apparently advised on that change one by another artist - good job them.
• In the Garden, Corfu marked a change in the exhibition, with later pieces including much more overtly impressionist elements. The paint in the background is a thick impasto which gives the feeling of a gusty, stormy sky offset against the calm action in the foreground.
• The Chess Game was one of the final pieces at the exhibition, and really felt like a victory lap. The strokes are thick and loose, the colours are bold, bright to the point of feeling almost alien, yet it all came together in a lifelike, dynamic piece.