Mrs. Walter Rathbone Bacon

Happened, at home in Sweden, Zorn reproached the fact that he caters to the unpretentious tastes of the American public. For example, modernist Isaac Grünewaldsaid work Zorn – "grocers, which are bought by Americans with no culture, no taste". Irritation less popular compatriots Zorn can understand that his portrait was used for the ocean wildly popular. Among his customers were the three presidents of the United States Cleveland, Taftand Theodore Roosevelt. In 1901, one of the American Newspapers wrote that his portraits, Zorn earns 15 thousand dollars a week.

In 1897 the railway magnate Edward bacon invited Zorn to write to her daughter Virginia. Virginia bacon was descended from a distinguished and fabulously wealthy family. She was the granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt – owner of factories, houses, ships. In addition, Virginia was a professional socialite, is constantly revolved in the Bohemian circles interested in art – it is not surprising that different-sized portrait painters flocked to her like bees to honey.

The task was difficult. And not just because Virginia bacon was spoiled by the attention of the best artists of the world (by the way, Sam Zorn wrote her portrait in 1891 in Paris) and was not one of those models I never capriciousand always happy with the result. The fact that Zorn accepted the offer as a challenge, a kind of competition with John Singer Sargent The– a recognized master of portrait, paint Virginia bacon a year earlier.

According to popular belief, Zorn won this undeclared duel. This serene, as if flowing and very flattering portrait undoubtedly liked customers. He was declared the newspaper of the American Art News "the best female portraits ever created by the Swedish master". As for Sargent, when he saw the painting at the Paris Salon, he acknowledged that Anders Zorn "won a brilliant victory". At least, so claimed the Zorn in his memoirs.

Author: Andrew Zimoglyadov