DISCUSSION GUIDE Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X by Deborah Davis
1. As a warm up, how do you think these two works of art relate to Strapless?
Portrait of Mrs. Colin Hunter John Singer Sargent, American (1896) Oil Painting Purchased with funds from the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation for the for the Marriner S. Eccles Collection of Masterworks, assisted by Mrs. Nathan (Jane) Porter, Emma Eccles Jones, the estate of Dolores Dore (Mrs. George S.) Eccles, and Friends of the Art Museum
A Room a No. 11 Rue de L'universite Walter Gay, American (1900-1937) Oil painting Gift of Richard Lawson Currently not on exhibition
2. Both John Singer Sargent and Virginie Amelie Avegnon Gautreau were American-born expats who were at first fully embraced and then ultimately rejected by Parisian society. Discuss some of the reasons this happened. To what extent might anti-American feelings have contributed to the attitudes of the French people toward Madame X? 3. Why do you think this time period is often called the “Gilded Age” particularly in Paris as described by this book? 4. Shopping as a hobby or conspicuous consumption as a social ill is often seen as a phenomena of modern society. Do you see any parallels between Paris of the 1880s and America 2011? 5. In what ways was Paris in the 1880s a more open society for women? In what ways was the identity of a woman tied to that of her husband? Has this changed today? 6. Beauty was and still is big business. How is the elusive pursuit of beauty a central theme of this book? Do you think the pursuit of physical beauty is still as important today? To what extent is aging a factor in the beauty equation? In what ways have our ideas of beauty and glamour changed? What price do you put on beauty? 7. What factors contributed to the intensity of the scandal that revolved around Madame Gautreau’s fallen strap? Do you think if Amelie Gautreau - the subject of Madame X – had been an “unknown” there would have been a scandal? 8. Compare the aftermath effects of Madame X on the ensuing lives of the two principle characters. 9. Why were portraits so important during this time period? Why did Sargent elect to become primarily a painter of portraits? Are portraits still an important art form today? How have they changed? 10. Compare Amelie to Lilly Millet. Why did Sargent spend so much time in the Millet household in the summers following the Madame X scandal? Who do you think was more “successful” - Amelie or Lilly? 11. How did changes in society as well as in art affect Sargent’s success as an artist and family breadwinner? 12. Why do you suppose the portrait of Madame X continues to be one of the most popular works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art even today?
Additional Reading: Bulfinch, Thomas. Greek and Roman Mythology: The Age of Fable, “Narcissus and Echo.” Dover Thrift edition, 2000. Diliberto, Gioia. I am Madame X. Scribner, 2004 McCulloch, David. The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. Simon and Schuster, 2011 Olson, Stanley. John Singer Sargent: His Portrait. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2001 Ratcliff, Carter. John Singer Sargent. Abbeyville Press, 2001 Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Ward, Locke, and Company, 1891
Related Websites: “John Singer Sargent, the Complete Works.” http://www.johnsingersargent.org/ “John Singer Sargent Virtual Gallery.” http://jssgallery.org/ “Madame X,” in the Works of Art Collection Database of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/
Other Books by Deborah Davis: Gilded: How Newport Became America’s Richest Resort (April 12, 2011) Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball (Feb 2, 2007) The Oprah Winfrey Show: Reflections on an American Legacy (Nov. 1, 2011) The Secret Lives of Frames: One Hundred Years of Art and Artistry (December 1, 2006) Guest of Honor: Booker T. Washington. Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner that Shocked a Nation (December 6, 2011)
Availability: Three copies available through the Salt Lake County Library system Two copies available through the Salt Lake City Library system Available through area bookstores and online book companies Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook version are available
Utah Museum of Fine Arts • Marcia & John Price Museum Building 410 Campus Center Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 • 801-581-7332 • www.umfa.utah.edu