John Singer Sargent

The greatest impact of impressionism on Sargent’s art was his use of color. He experimented with brighter, less black infected palettes and developed a special interest in the effects of light on color, and especially how various surfaces reflected and absorbed light. His interest in capturing the color of highlights, shadows, and reflections would be of paramount importance in his watercolors. Sometimes, the challenge of capturing a particular optical effect would be the only reason for doing a painting.

J.S. Sargent. Miss Eden.

From 1887 to the end of the century, Sargent established his reputation as a portraitist first in the United States and then England. He became the most sought after portrait painter by aristocrats and would-be-aristocrats on both sides of the Atlantic. To have your portrait done by Sargent meant you had arrived. By 1900, Sargent had become very wealthy and was overwhelmed with portrait work.

From the article by Jim Salchak