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Jared Polivka

Humanities 1301

Professor Burleson

8 August 2021

The Discoveries Behind a Black Velvet Gown

When one finds themselves surrounded by self-expressions of renowned, reclusive, or

even unknown artists, at least one piece is bound to gravitate a glance. For myself, I found a

work that depicts a sense of fearlessness in a not-so-progressive society. As my eyes continued to

wander the painting, the woman; draped in what seems to be a black velvet gown, looked lost in

her own thoughts, all the while leaning on a small round table for stability. This velvet gown that

laid delicately around her; its train hiding the floor and hugging her waist with a piece of pitch

black silk, was all being held up by two gold chain straps crested with what looks to be

diamonds. The woman in this painting looked like she was out of place, as if she longed to be

elsewhere, and this led to the discovery of the paintings’ history.

The artist, John Singer Sargent, titled this piece, Madame X, and it was dated 1884. At

first glance, one may think that this dress seems quite revealing, with its low-cut, sweetheart

neckline, especially for the time period, but this woman with a fearless sense of style was

Sargents muse. Sargent was trying to create a piece that would make his name known, and at the

time, he felt this portrait of Madame Pierre Gautreau was bound to do just that. Madame Pierre

Gautreau had a reputation for her beauty and immodest style, which made her the perfect model
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for Sargent, who tried to capture her dauntless fashion by painting the right strap slipping off her

pale shoulder. John Singer Sargent was anticipating a relatively positive response to his work,

but he was highly ridiculed by critics, who saw the fallen strap as indecent. This led to the fallen

strap being painted over and replaced with the one we see today, but due to the high amount of

negative criticism at its reveal, he kept this piece hidden for thirty years. It took some time, but

his work found its place in the Metropolitan, where it has finally been appreciated.

Viewing art can lead to many different discoveries about the growth and changes of

different time periods. These captured moments in an artist's time can give insight into the social

norms of their society, fashion trends, or even past events and how it affected the artist. When

anyone views a piece of art, the innate sense of human curiosity can lead them on their own

journey towards finding their own meaning behind it or discovering what the artist meant by it,

which is something that everyone should experience.

Strolling through a museum or simply finding works in books allows one to simply

admire the artist's definition of beauty or become lost in their complexity, but either way, the

viewer finds something that speaks to them. Pieces of art can lead to non-verbal understanding

between the artist and the viewer, as if the artwork has captured its own set of emotions and is

able to depict them to the many eyes that gaze upon it. It is commonly said that art is subjective,

and this is undoubtedly true, but most pieces of art hold a meaning that is universal, which is

why the exploration and experience of art is so important.

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Works Cited

“Madame X (MADAME Pierre Gautreau) - John Singer Sargent - GOOGLE Arts & Culture.”

Google, Google, artsandculture.google.com/asset/madame-x-madame-pierre-gautreau-j

ohn-singer-sargent/XQFBdVEh0NHo0A.