Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend.

So said John Singer Sargent, one of the great portrait artists and artists in general of the late 19th and early 20th century. He reportedly often considered painting portraits of the wealthy or prominent to be tiresome, since you always had to make the subject look appealing in order to keep a decent reputation. Though I doubt he lost this gentleman as a friend, since he made him look quite regal. This is the Portrait of Dr. Pozzi At Home (Hammer Museum), done in 1881. Beautiful red robe and skin tones there.

I read that mega-developer Steve Wynn purchased Sargent's Portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson and His Wife (might have been nice to use her actual name beyond her wifedom, but whatever) and is going to hang it in his new and lavish casino. Vegas seems like a bizarre place for Robert Louis Stevenson, Wife, and John Singer Sargent to end up, but life is bizarre sometimes.

** Blogger has The Sixty Minute Artist listed in their noteworthy blogs this week, and it a) is indeed worthy of note, and b) seems great for both artists and/or the art-inclined. I personally loved the Cherry Pop Tart painting.