John Singer Sargent – Fashion & Swagger

John Singer Sargent is known as the greatest portrait artist of his era. What made his ‘swagger’ portraits remarkable was his power over his sitters, what they wore and how they were presented to the audience.

Exhibition on Screen brings John Singer Sargent – Fashion & Swagger to the Torch Theatre on Tuesday 16 April.

Through interviews with curators, contemporary fashionistas and style influencers, Exhibition on Screen’s film will examine how Sargent’s unique practice has influenced modern art, culture and fashion. Filmed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Tate Britain, London, the exhibition reveals Sargent’s power to express distinctive personalities, power dynamics and gender identities during this fascinating period of cultural reinvention.

“As filmmakers, both director David Bickerstaff and I have been thrilled to make this film about Sargent, someone I consider a truly astounding artist,” explained one of the producers Phil Grabsky.

He added: “It always intrigues me how some artists are so well-known and some seem to have flown under the radar. John Singer Sargent, despite being the most famous portrait artist of the late 19^th century, is no longer a household name. Exhibition on Screen, however, has always had the intention of making films not only about great names – Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Raphael, Vermeer - but also those who are deserving of more attention.”

Alongside 50 paintings by Sargent sit stunning items of clothing and accessories worn by his subjects, drawing the audience into the artist’s studio. Sargent’s sitters were often wealthy, their clothes costly, but what happens when you turn yourself over to the hands of a great artist? The manufacture of public identity is as controversial and contested today as it was at the turn of the 20th century, but somehow Sargent’s work transcends the social noise and captures an alluring truth with each brush stroke.

To book your tickets to see John Singer Sargent - Fashion & Swagger at the Torch Theatre on Tuesday 16 April at 7.30pm, click here or contact the Box Office on 01646 695267. Tickets are £13.