Izme Vickers 1907

John Singer Sargent made this portrait of Izme Vickers with oil on canvas, but when? There’s no date given. I wonder about the moment when Sargent looked at Izme and decided to paint her. The painting feels like a conversation. There’s something about the brushwork, the soft pinks and whites, and the way the light catches on the column that makes you feel like you’re in the room with them. Sargent must have thought she was worth capturing, worthy of being seen. And then the painting itself becomes this encounter for us. The way her hands gently rest on the column makes me think of those moments when you’re trying to compose yourself, to appear poised while the world swirls around you. Does this painting celebrate her, or does it objectify her? This is something I think all painters should grapple with when depicting women.