Mike: You are amazing to find those two strikingly similar master pieces.
Steven: Sketch diary is necessary for us.

Why did Sargent paint Madame X's face in profile?

Li Bai, Mao Zedong and Sargent
 

30 years ago, Sept.9th. on Chinese "the Moon Festival", Mao passed away.
My grandfather was with Mao and about ten other students on a Moon Day party. When asked about future plan, proposals, like to run for a senator, to be a scholar or a teacher, were looked down by Mao, who disclosed his own idea: Rebelling, "cheng wang bai kou", ( if successful, one would be the king, otherwise he would be labeled as a bandit).
Li Bai is the the foremost Chinese poet. Now these two great poets meet Sargent in the moon, talking about what they share a common activity attributed partly for their uprupt rising in fame. What do you think?

..............................

What made them so great?
That "starts under (their) feet", Li Bai, Mao and Sargent traveled extensively in their youth.

Compare Li Bai's
The Hard Road
Pure wine costs, for the golden cup, ten thousand coppers a flagon,
And a jade plate of dainty food calls for million coins.
I fling aside my food-sticks and cup, I cannot eat nor drink...
I pull out my dagger, I peer four ways in vain.
I would cross the Yellow River, but ice chokes the ferry;
I would climb the Tai-hang Mountains, but the sky is blind with snow..
I would sit and poise a fishing-pole, lazy by a brook --
But I suddenly dream of riding a boat, sailing for the sun...
Journeying is hard,
Journeying is hard.
There are many turnings --
Which am I to follow?...
I will mount a long wind some day and break the heavy waves
And set my cloudy sail straight and bridge the deep, deep sea

With Mao's "The Long March":
The Red Army fears not these prodigious distant campaigns,
A thousand mountains, ten thousand rivers, they look upon as pleasantly usual.
The tortuous Five ranges are but ripples they leap,
The dread crests of Wumeng, mud dumps under their heels.
Warm are the fog-wrapped cliffs lapped by the Golden Sands river,
Cold were the iron chains spanning the Dadu stream.
How much laughter amid the unending snows of Minshan,
And when the Three Armies had crossed, smile were on all their faces.

Two of Sargent's works are in display at the Mint Museum, Charlotte, till 31th, Dec., 2006.

I was in front of this original painting for 6 hours:
http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/..._Pailleron.htm
Please find out what parts bother your eyes in above web image.

Gosh, SB, 6 hours in front of this painting?

After 6 minutes I can find nothing that "bothers my eye" in this painting - perhaps something in the original painting does not appear in the digital photo of this portrait?.

Please explain the point you are trying to make here.

Hee hair and the shadow made by the hair is troubling. All is so masterfully done detail, value but the hair looks like a wash-in or should I say washe-out. Comparing the hands to the face it seems not to rime. She was painted inside sitting on a bar type stool made too look outside.

It bothers me that I didn't paint it.

Well, I deleted my previous post because I confused this painting with another one.

I'd like to see the original. But that's not my favorite amongs Sargent's work. Here is a better photo.