Editing John Singer Sargent (section)

==Early career==
[[File:EL JALEO-SINGER.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|''[[El Jaleo]] (Spanish Dancer)'', 1882, [[Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]], Boston.]]

In 1879 at the age of 23, Sargent painted a portrait of his teacher Carolus-Duran; the virtuoso effort met with public approval and announced the direction his mature work would take. Its showing at the [[Paris Salon]] was both a tribute to his teacher and an advertisement for portrait commissions.<ref>Prettejohn (1998), p. 14.</ref> Of Sargent's early work, [[Henry James]] wrote that the artist offered "the slightly 'uncanny' spectacle of a talent which on the very threshold of its career has nothing more to learn".<ref>Prettejohn (1998), p. 13.</ref>

After leaving Carolus-Duran's atelier, Sargent visited Spain. There he studied the paintings of [[Diego Velázquez|Velázquez]] with a passion, absorbing the master's technique, and in his travels gathered ideas for future works.<ref>Olson (1986), p. 70.</ref> He was entranced with Spanish music and dance. The trip also re-awakened his own talent for music (which was nearly equal to his artistic talent), and which found visual expression in his early masterpiece ''[[El Jaleo]]'' (1882). Music would continue to play a major part in his social life as well, as he was a skillful accompanist of both amateur and professional musicians. Sargent became a strong advocate for modern composers, especially [[Gabriel Fauré]].<ref>Olson (1986), p. 73.</ref>

[[File:Venetianonionseller.jpg|thumb|upright|''Venetian onion seller'', 1880–1882, [[Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum]], Madrid.]]
Trips to Italy provided sketches and ideas for several Venetian street-scene [[genre paintings]], which effectively captured gestures and postures he would find useful in later portraiture.<ref>Fairbrother (1994), p. 33.</ref>

Upon his return to Paris, Sargent quickly received several portrait commissions. His career was launched. He immediately demonstrated the concentration and stamina that enabled him to paint with workman-like steadiness for the next twenty-five years. He filled in the gaps between commissions with many non-commissioned portraits of friends and colleagues. His fine manners, perfect French, and great skill made him a standout among the newer portraitists, and his fame quickly spread. He confidently set high prices and turned down unsatisfactory sitters.<ref>Olson (1986), p. 80.</ref> He mentored his friend [[Emil Fuchs (artist)|Emil Fuchs]], who was learning to paint portraits in oils.<ref name="Emil Fuchs papers">{{cite web |url= http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/collections/libraries_and_archives/uploads/Fuchs_final.pdf |publisher=Brooklyn Museum |title=Emil Fuchs papers 1880–1931 |access-date=November 7, 2013 |archive-date=June 25, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150625174501/http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/collections/libraries_and_archives/uploads/Fuchs_final.pdf}}</ref>