John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925)
Study for the Spanish Dancer, 1882
Watercolor on paper
11 13/16 x 7 7/8 in. (30 x 20.02 cm)
Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Margaret J. and George V. Charlton in memory of Eugene McDermott, 1974.1.FA

Born in Italy to American parents, John Singer Sargent spent his life as an expatriate, making intermittent visits to the United States while maintaining studios in Paris and London. His earliest training was with Carolus-Duran in Paris from 1874 to 1879, from whom Sargent learned bravura brushwork and an appreciation for the works of Velasquez. In 1879 Sargent spent five months touring Spain and North Africa, at a time when Spain in particular was considered an exotic land linked more closely to Africa than Europe. Fascination with the unknown aspects of Spanish and Moorish culture permeated Europe, inspiring Bizet’s opera Carmen and literary works like The Alhambra. Sargent returned from his travels with sketches of Spanish gypsy dancers, and the germ of an idea for his first full-scale salon painting, El Jaleo. Completed in 1882, El Jaleo, which translates to mean “ruckus” or “uproar,” depicts a dimly lit hall in which a lone dancer pounds out her dance to the accompaniment of guitars and shouts.

Sargent’s composition developed over three years through a series of drawings and watercolors. His principal effort went into the figure of the dancer, especially her gesture and dress. The study for the Spanish Dancer appeared to be the final preliminary work for El Jaleo until the recent rediscovery of a full-size oil painting of this dancer, which was Sargent’s first attempt to paint this subject. It is to this work, titled Spanish Dancer (private collection), that the Dallas Museum of Art’s watercolor relates, as the attitude and dress of the figure confirm. The rediscovery of this previously unknown painting helps clarify Sargent’s working method. Sargent’s use of watercolor for his penultimate study is unusual. Sketching the basic forms in pencil, he deftly applied watercolor washes to give substance to the dancer’s body and shawl, and to suggest the murky background.