Existing comment:
Gabriel Fauré 1854–1924
Mrs. Patrick Campbell 1865–1940
One of the most advanced French composers of his generation, Gabriel Fauré anticipated the modernist trends of the twentieth century through radical experimentation with modality, harmonic relations, and dissonance. Sargent was a devoted friend of the composer and an active champion of his music. In this drawing, he portrays Fauré with a concentrated gaze that suggests he is playing the piano. Peering over his shoulder is Beatrice Stella Tanner. Better known as Mrs. Patrick Campbell, or "Mrs. Pat," she was a renowned English stage actor who excelled in the intelligent female roles created by playwrights sympathetic to the plight of modern women, such as Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw.
Sargent produced this striking double portrait after the London premiere of the Symbolist play Pelléas and Mélisande, written by Maurice Maeterlinck. Campbell played the title female role and commissioned the score, while Fauré composed music for the production.
Charcoal with graphite on paper, 1898
Private collection, UK; care of Omnia Art Ltd. |