Painting Skin: John Singer Sargent's "Madame X"

‘Skin Portraiture’ in the Age of Bio Art

“… 1. While integral to analyses of likeness and subjectivity, art historical analyses of skin within portraiture are limited to a study of flesh tones (Fend, 2014; Fend and Bhode, 2007; Sidlauskas, 2001), the representation of identity in dermatology (Fend, 2013; Hennepe, 2006), and skin colour (Fend, 2014, 2015). While important, these analyses merely offer a glimpse into the importance of skin within contemporary visual culture. …”

Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau: Living Statue

“…Susan Sidlauskas has connected the upset over Gautreau's pallor in Madame X to concerns about illness, but the comments also signify a rejection of her self-presentation. [2] This article places Madame X within the discourse of classical reception and argues that as a "living statue," Gautreau performed a role that observers found fashionable and alluring. It was only when her image was fixed in place on canvas that her appearance became disturbing.…”