Interpreting Sargent

Released in conjunction with exhibitions at the Washington, DC National Gallery and at MFA Boston, this volume offers fantastic renditions of such portraits as "Ena and Betty Wertheimer", "Henry James", "Lady Agnew of Lochnaw", "Mr. and Mrs. Stokes" (the one with the long white dress with matching boater hat) and "Robert Louis Stevenson". More dramatic and even scandalous works such as "Madame X" and "El Jaleo" are included, and even a few almost-unknown works like "Head of a Capri Girl" are to be found. Better focused than the average museum companion, the analysis here is printed close to the example work so as to make clear what the critic describes and judges. An above-average book in a typically turgid category.