Born in Florence, Italy, of American parents, Sargent spent most of his life in Europe. Most famous as a portrait painter of society ladies, he also painted large scale murals for the Boston Public Library, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and Harvard Chapel.
Sargent's style emphasizes both color and light and dark. His paintings are said to be luminous, with bright swatches of color applied in bold strokes. This luminous quality highlights the faces in the portraits against an often shadowy backdrop.
