Being on the receiving end of a crash course on the paintings of John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) is to understand that before photo-heavy fashion magazines and influencers evaluating the designers of the time, there was Sargent and his remarkably lifelike portraits of mostly high-society folk in their latest, one-of-a-kind garbs, painted in a style that made the fabrics flow and shimmer in ways that even today’s most talented fashion photographers struggle to get just right.
Directed by David Bickerstaff, John Singer Sargent: Fashion and Swagger pulls together an impressive lineup of curators, art historians, fashion experts, artists and photographers to walk us through Sargent’s life and best-known works (as well as many lesser known pieces) to show us that the painter did a great deal more than simply paint his subjects; he made what have come to be called “swagger” portraits that illustrated how much influence he had over what his subjects wore and how they wore it. Filmed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Tate Britain, London, the film shows us each painting in great detail, making it clear that every object in the background or particular way the subject was positioned was not only deliberate, but also told a story that Sargent wanted to make clear about the person or people in his works.
Sargent was one of those rare artists who managed to make money on his commissioned work while he was still alive, and as he moved from country to country on his journey, his reputation of excellence and timelessness preceded him. His works were as important to the fashion industry as the garments themselves, but they also served as a status symbol for his sitters. It’s almost impossible to imagine a painter holding such a place of importance in that period, but the film is proof that at least one did. And if he didn’t like the way a garment fell because of its design, he simply altered it in his work.
In addition to the talking-head interviews, Fashion and Swagger centers on the Boston’s museum’s unique exhibit that collects some of the original garments and displays them side by side with Sargent’s painting of it, allowing the viewer to see both what he captured of, for example, an especially intricate dress, as well as what he altered or enhanced. The film also digs a bit into Sargent’s personal life, but thankfully stays mostly focused on the work. I firmly believe that even those not curious about fashion or art history will find Sargent’s story fascinating, with him quite often being at the center of the fashion world, scandal, and high society—sometimes all at once.
The film is now playing exclusively at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
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