Madame Paul Escudier (Louise Lefevre)

In this depiction of Frenchwoman Louise Escudier, John Singer Sargent undercut traditional portrait conventions by prioritizing the dramatic effects of light and dark in a Parisian apartment. The picture grew out of a series of atmospheric views of working-class women in darkened interiors that the artist produced on two trips to Venice between 1880 and 1882. It combines the Impressionists’ gestural brushwork with a heightened chiaroscuro (light and shade) drawn from Spanish Old Masters such as Diego Velázquez. These compositions helped to establish Sargent’s reputation in Paris as a daring and original painter.