Focus on this artwork and discuss the Analysis.
Art historians have used Madame X to examine the conventions, particularly regarding sexuality and dress, of the time period during which it was exhibited.
Concerning the black gown depicted in the portrait, dress historian Aileen Ribeiro writes that "The dress is so scandalous even an actress would have thought twice about wearing it for a portrait." Valerie Steele, a dress historian and the curator of the Museum at FIT, further contextualizes why contemporary audiences found Madame X's dress so shocking: "'Though the cuirass would have had some kind of lining to soak up sweat, the model would not have been wearing any underwear." Dress historian Justine De Young, however, argues that "it was not the dress itself that prompted criticism, but instead her way of wearing it (with the slipped shoulder strap and heavy make-up)."Art historian Dorothy Moss analyzed contemporary reviews, positing that "The language of contemporary criticism reveals that it was [Sargent's] emphasis on the sitter's artifice that, above all, excited the critics." Art historian Elizabeth Renes explains that "Sargent uses two techniques in Madame X to bring focus to her 'whiteness' and her 'cosmetic exterior': the dark background, which creates a high contrast to further highlight her skin, and the uncomfortable, sculptural pose, paired with the simplicity of the gown, which forces more of her flesh into view." Naturalness was the ideal of beauty at the time, and Madame X "defiantly violated this cherished precept of nineteenth-century decorum."Art historian Susan Sidlauskas lists "the brazenness of [Gautreau's] self-display; the singularity of her adornments, both sartorial and cosmetic; and the crudeness of her American ambitiousness" as "evident" reasons why audiences were offended by Madame X. Sidlauskas also argues that, on a subconscious level, "Gautreau aroused the anxieties of her audience" as her carefully-styled appearance rested in an uncanny valley between life and death. Sidlauskas particularly focuses on Gautreau's powdered skin, which audiences found unsettling. By inviting attention, but not necessarily attraction, "Gautreau—through Sargent—brazenly defied the conventions for feminine display, and in so doing spurned the visible signs of masculine possession."Deborah Davis, author of Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X, notes that women were particularly vocal about their disapproval of Madame X, "as if to assert their moral superiority." Davis also explains that, while there were plenty of nude paintings exhibited alongside Madame X, none of which were the subject of scandal, "nude women in paintings could be only historical or mythological figures, or anonymous types." While Gautreau's identity was technically obscured in the title, it was widely known. Because Gautreau was a public figure and a married woman, her suggestive appearance was more shocking than works which were "mindful of the conventions regarding nudes".: 133–135
anonymous types John Singer Sargent Aileen Ribeiro public figure powdered skin Sargent underwear Museum at FIT mythological sweat uncanny valley nude paintings historical artifice Valerie Steele decorum cuirass make-up Madame X American ambitiousness