Editing John Singer Sargent (section)

== Training ==
[[File:The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, John Singer Sargent, 1882 (unfree frame crop).jpg|thumb|left|''[[The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit]]'', 1882, [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]]]]

An attempt to study at the [[Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze|Academy of Florence]] failed, as the school was reorganizing at the time. After returning to Paris from Florence, Sargent began his art studies with the young French portraitist [[Carolus-Duran]]. Following a meteoric rise, the artist was noted for his bold technique and modern teaching methods; his influence would be pivotal to Sargent during the period from 1874 to 1878.<ref name="Fairbrother (1994), p. 13">Fairbrother (1994), p. 13.</ref>

In 1874, Sargent passed on his first attempt the rigorous exam required to gain admission to the {{lang|fr|[[École des Beaux-Arts]]|italic=no}}, the premier art school in France. He took drawing classes, which included anatomy and perspective, and gained a silver prize.<ref name="Fairbrother (1994), p. 13" /><ref name="Little (1998), p. 7">Little (1998), p. 7.</ref> He also spent much time in self-study, drawing in museums and painting in a studio he shared with [[James Carroll Beckwith]]. He became both a valuable friend and Sargent's primary connection with the American artists abroad.<ref name="Olson, p. 46">Olson (1986), p. 46.</ref> Sargent also took some lessons from [[Léon Bonnat]].<ref name="Little (1998), p. 7" />
[[File:Miss Frances Sherborne Ridley Watts.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|Fanny Watts, Sargent's childhood friend. The first painting at Paris Salon, 1877, [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]]]]

Carolus-Duran's [[atelier]] was progressive, dispensing with the traditional academic approach, which required careful drawing and underpainting, in favor of the {{lang|it|[[alla prima]]}} method of working directly on the canvas with a loaded brush, derived from [[Diego Velázquez]]. It was an approach that relied on the proper placement of tones of paint. Sargent would later create a painting in this style that prompted comments such as: "The student has surpassed the teacher."<ref>[[Elizabeth Prettejohn]]: ''Interpreting Sargent'', p. 9. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1998.</ref>

This approach also permitted spontaneous flourishes of color not bound to an [[underdrawing]]. It was markedly different from the traditional atelier of [[Jean-Léon Gérôme]], where Americans [[Thomas Eakins]] and [[Julian Alden Weir]] had studied. Sargent was the star student in short order. Weir met Sargent in 1874 and noted that Sargent was "one of the most talented fellows I have ever come across; his drawings are like the old masters, and his color is equally fine".<ref name="Olson, p. 46" /> Sargent's excellent command of French and his superior talent made him both popular and admired. Through his friendship with [[Paul César Helleu]], Sargent would meet giants of the art world, including [[Edgar Degas|Degas]], [[Auguste Rodin|Rodin]], [[Claude Monet|Monet]], and [[James Abbott McNeill Whistler|Whistler]].

[[File:John Singer Sargent - An Out-of-Doors Study - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|''An Out-of-Doors Study'', 1889, depicting [[Paul César Helleu]] sketching with his wife Alice Guérin. The [[Brooklyn Museum]], New York]]
Sargent's early enthusiasm was for [[Landscape art|landscapes]], not portraiture, as evidenced by his voluminous sketches full of mountains, seascapes, and buildings.<ref name="Olson, p. 55">Olson (1986), p. 55.</ref> Carolus-Duran's expertise in portraiture finally influenced Sargent in that direction. Commissions for history paintings were still considered more prestigious, but were much harder to get. Portrait painting, on the other hand, was the best way of promoting an art career, getting exhibited in the [[Paris Salon|Salon]], and gaining commissions to earn a livelihood.
[[File:John Singer Sargent - Cancale.jpg|thumb|''Fishing for Oysters at Cançale (a.k.a. En route pour la pêche or Setting Out to Fish)'', 1878, [[National Gallery of Art]] in Washington, DC]]
Sargent's first major portrait was of his friend Fanny Watts in 1877, and was also his first Salon admission. Its particularly well-executed pose drew attention.<ref name="Olson, p. 55" /> His second salon entry was the ''Oyster Gatherers of Cançale'', an [[Impressionism|impressionistic]] painting of which he made two copies, one of which he sent back to the United States, and both received warm reviews.<ref>Fairbrother (1994), p. 16.</ref>