Gardiner Greene Hammond, Jr.
1895
John Singer Sargent, the ultimate celebrity portraitist of the Gilded Age, brings a wonderful sense of immediacy to this 1895 depiction of Gardiner Greene Hammond, Jr. The subject sports a dashing mustache and a surprisingly loose, floppy white cravat that Sargent has painted with rapid, slashing brushstrokes—a technique known as 'bravura' that makes the fabric seem to vibrate with light. Despite the dark, moody background, the man’s face is rendered with a soft, lifelike glow, capturing a moment of relaxed confidence. It’s a perfect example of how Sargent could make a wealthy Boston lawyer look like a dashing bohemian hero with just a few strokes of his brush.
- Technique
- Oil painting
- Material
- Oil on canvas
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