John Singer Sargent (Florence, 1856 - 1925, London)
Study for Three Dancing Figures for the Rotunda of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1916-1921
Charcoal on paper , 48.5 x 62.9 cm (19 1/8 x 24 3/4 in.)
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Short Gallery
Commentary
In 1916, John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) met Thomas Eugene McKeller (1890–1962), a young, Black elevator attendant, at Boston’s Hotel Vendome. McKeller posed for most of the figures—both male and female—in Sargent’s murals in the Museum of Fine Arts. The painter transformed McKeller into white gods and goddesses, creating soaring allegories of the liberal arts that celebrated the recent expansion of the city’s premier civic museum. Sargent then gave several preparatory drawings of McKeller to Isabella Stewart Gardner, ensuring their preservation in perpetuity.
Although McKeller modeled for many of the rotunda’s female figures, Sargent also made studies from female models. In this case, the artist sketches the legs and feet of Gladys or Lilian White for his relief of Three Dancing Figures.
Although McKeller modeled for many of the rotunda’s female figures, Sargent also made studies from female models. In this case, the artist sketches the legs and feet of Gladys or Lilian White for his relief of Three Dancing Figures.