1880, John Singer Sargent, Fumee d'Ambre Gris (Smoke of the Ambergris) -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: From Spain, Sargent traveled to Morocco and rented a house in Tangier for two months. While there, he began this painting, which shows a woman perfuming herself with incense of ambergris, a precious, aromatic, waxy substance derived from sperm whales. Sargent invented this Moroccan fantasy to appeal to his Parisian audiences, taking inspiration from diverse North African sources. The painting was completed in his Paris studio using a model. It captured the attention of visitors and critics at the Salon of 1880, who praised its mysterious beauty and enigmatic narrative. Reviewers linked it to the Aesthetic movement and interpreted it in poetic or musical terms, while Sargent himself explained that the picture was all about color. The amazing white-on-white composition is amplified by the meticulous rendering of the incense burner, patterned rugs, and tiles on the floor.
1880, John Singer Sargent, Fumee d'Ambre Gris (Smoke of the Ambergris) -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) (special exhibition)
From the museum label: From Spain, Sargent traveled to Morocco and rented a house in Tangier for two months. While there, he began this painting, which shows a woman perfuming herself with incense of ambergris, a precious, aromatic, waxy substance derived from sperm whales. Sargent invented this Moroccan fantasy to appeal to his Parisian audiences, taking inspiration from diverse North African sources. The painting was completed in his Paris studio using a model. It captured the attention of visitors and critics at the Salon of 1880, who praised its mysterious beauty and enigmatic narrative. Reviewers linked it to the Aesthetic movement and interpreted it in poetic or musical terms, while Sargent himself explained that the picture was all about color. The amazing white-on-white composition is amplified by the meticulous rendering of the incense burner, patterned rugs, and tiles on the floor.