Never before have Sargent's talents been so gloriously displayed as they are here. Quite simply，this……edition is a stunner，a book as satisfyingly extravagant as a Sargent portrait……

The name John Singer Sargent brings to mind paintings of society belles in satin and lace，of powerful，brooding industrialists and their families--brilliant，insightful portraits executed with a dazzling technical virtuosity that made him one of the most popular painters of his day.This popularity has survived the test of time，prompting a thoughtful reappraisal by one of our most prominent art critics，Carter Ratcliff，who shows us that Sargent's range was much greater than is usually supposed.This quiet，enigmatic man devoted much of his time to the art of watercolor，escaping the demands of his wealthy patrons whenever he could to capture the beauty of the European and American landscapes in a spontaneous，vibrant style.

Never before has a book so thoroughly covered the full expanse of this extraordinary artist work.One hundred thirteen large color plates and over 200 black-and-white illustrations convey the extravagant glamour of his society portraits，the exuberance of his watercolors，the stately pomp of his Boston murals.The evolution of certain key works is traced through studies that reveal the fascinating process of Sargent creativity，from the most tentative pencil drawings to the highly finished oil paintings.

Born in Florence in 1856 to American parents，Sargent spent a nomadic childhood before going to Paris to study with the progressive academic artist，Emile Carolus-Duran.He quickly surpassed his master，and by the 1880s Sargent had begun the steady climb to fame that ultimately placed him at the center of his society，with a formidable circle of friends and colleagues that included Henry James，Claude Monet，and James McNeill Whistler.A self-effacing man，he left no journal and little correspondence; his charming，elusive character is recreated in the text through his rare letters to friends and the speculations of his contemporaries.

When Sargent died in 1925，a childhood companion wrote in her memorial that “the summing up of a would-be biographer must，I think，be：He painted.” It is the strikingly beautiful results of that unceasing devotion to his art that glow throughout the pages of this incomparable book.

PROLOGUE： Point of View

Ⅰ.A Nomadic Sort of Life

Ⅱ.A Student in Paris

Ⅲ.Independence

Ⅳ.The Scandalous Madame X

Ⅴ.Starting Over in England

Ⅵ.A Critical Success

Ⅶ.Patriarchs and Pagans—The Boston Murals

Ⅷ.Master of the Modern Portrait

Ⅸ.“Sargentolatry”andaReluctantIdol

Ⅹ.The End of an Era

EPILOGUE：The SitwellPortrait

NOTES

APPENDIX： Selected Writings on Sargent

CHRONOLOGY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS