1897
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Mrs. George Swinton (Elizabeth Ebsworth) is a 1897 oil by John Singer Sargent, a American Impressionism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
You see a woman in a fancy dress, sitting upright with a confident expression. She's wearing a big hat and a lot of jewelry. The painting is interesting because it shows the subject's personality and style, with the artist using bold brushstrokes and bright colors to bring her to life. The artist's use of color and light makes the subject stand out, and you can tell she was a person of importance. Check out the work of artist John Singer Sargent.
John Singer Sargent’s portrayal of musician Elizabeth “Elsie” Swinton epitomizes the painterly virtuosity that made the artist one of the most fashionable portraitists in late 19th-century Europe and America. Extravagant color and brushwork were central to Sargent’s success, as was his ability to present a refined and appealing likeness. Here, he accentuated the sitter’s regal bearing and elaborate dress. At the time, Swinton was a celebrated amateur singer, and the following decade she began performing professionally. Sargent harmonized the realism of her face and body with bursts of…
Commissioned by Mrs. Henry Edward Ebsworth (the sitter's mother), 1897 (1) Llandough Castle, Cowbridge, Glamorgan, South Wales: (2) Gattonside House, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland; (3) London, England; consigned by her to M. Knoedler & Co., London, England, and New York, 1915; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1922.
London, England, The New Gallery, Summer Exhibition, Aprl 24–?, 1897, cat. 245, as Mrs. George Swinton. Edinburgh, Scotland, Royal Scottish Academy, The Ninety–First Exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, May 5–Sept. 1, 1917, cat. 142, as Mrs. George Swinton (incorrectly cited as lent by Captain George Swinton instead of Mrs. Henry Edward Ebsworth). Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, Twentieth Annual International Exhibition of Paintings, Apr. 28–June 30, 1921, cat. 304, as Portrait of Mrs. George Swinton (incorrectly cited as lent by Captain George…
Read the full account in the museum source.
John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury.
See the richer artist page
