I am Madame X: A Novel (Paperback)

Like many art enthusiasts, John Singer Sargent's portrait of Madame X is a required must on every trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I find myself lingering, and then returning to linger some more to the mesmerizing portrait.

Knowing a little of French society at the time, I'm always amazed by her gown, the pose and why she would have agreed to be portrayed this way. At the same time, I'm intrigued by Sargent's sense of the woman that led her to want to portray her this way. Clearly, there had to be a good story behind it all.

Now, I know a little more of the story, thanks to the author's fine note at the end of the book. Madame X was Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau, an American-born Louisiana expatriate who alternately enthralled and shocked Paris society of the time. Little is know about her except for the bare facts of when and where she was born and lived, whom she married, and what gossip columnists had to say about her. From that little, Ms. Diliberto chose to add an earlier birth date so that Ms. Gautreau could have remembered the Civil War in the United States. I didn't care for that change, nor for the addition of characters that create totally fictional speculation about her.

Naturally, I wanted to read about the creation of the painting, and was disappointed when its story did not begin until page 172 of 245 pages in the main body of the book. What is captured is also light on the subject of painting and Sargent's work. The author either chose not to say very much about his painting style, or doesn't know very much about the subject.

Those who will like this book best will be those who want to read a book of historical fiction, and don't really care very much about Sargent or the painting. For those who want to know a lot more about Madame X, this book will probably be a little disappointing beyond the end note.

As I thought about the book, I was struck by how much we continue to use the images of fashionable women as the centerpieces of much popular culture today. How would the world be different if we upheld the images instead of women who are doing outstanding things to make the world a better place?

With the skill of a consummate dramatist biographer Gioia Diliberto has penned her first novel by drawing upon the few facts known about Singer's mysterious subject. The result is a fully realized, fascinating story rich in period detail.

As was known to the Paris Salon in 1884 and as we know today when Madame X hangs in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art the haughty yet beguiling woman is Virginie Gautreau.

Born in New Orleans and raised on her grandmother's Louisiana sugar plantation, Virginie, her mother, and younger sister, Valentine, sought refuge in France as tides began to turn in the Civil War. Her most vivid memory of life at Parlange, as the plantation was called, is of her Aunt Julie's wedding day. In an attempt to escape an unwanted marriage 28-year-old Julie, an aspiring artist, threw herself from a second floor gallery breaking both legs.

"Men are bothersome beings," Julie had said. "I don't want to spend my days worrying about one."

Then 6-year-old Virginie may have heeded her aunt's words, as she seldom worried about the well being of men but used them to her advantage.

Upon arriving in Paris Virginie is sent to a dreaded convent school where she meets her first friend, Aurelie. Unbeknownst to Virginie her friend is "passing for white," and is expelled from the school when an outraged letter is received from Virginie's mother. The loss of her friend and confidant is devastating to Virginie, and is one of many attempts by her mother to manage the young girl's life in order to use her as an entree to the higher echelons of Parisian society.

But Virginie is not easily managed. She is soon recognized as a unique beauty and comes to expect the tributes she receives as her right. At the age of 15 she begins an affair with the handsome, unscrupulous Dr.Pozzi, ignoring her mother's shrieked warning: "He has a heart like an artichoke - a leaf for everyone, as the old Creoles used to say."
When she becomes pregnant Pozzi refuses to marry her, and insists upon an abortion. Heartbroken and fearful, the young Virginie accepts the proposal of Pierre Gautreau, an older banker who suggests a "marriage blanc," in which he will have no husbandly rights and they will lead separate lives.

Following a miscarriage Virginie devoted every waking hour to her appearance, turning her hair to a "deep, rich mahogany," whitening her skin, and rouging her ears. She embraced the dictum, "A woman's first duty is to be beautiful." The gowns she chose were daring for their bareness, accentuating her porcelain shoulders, and making her the focal point of every gathering. She soon was noted for her boldness as well as her beauty, and began an affair with political leader Leon Gambetta.

When Sargent initially approached Virginie about painting her portrait she was reluctant. But later became convinced that his success as a painter and acceptance by the Salon were credentials enough. Surely, she thought, his portrait of her and its introduction at the Salon would make her known throughout the European world.

As history relates the debut of her portrait had the opposite effect. Viewed as scandalous and shocking it was greeted with derisive jeers from the crowd. Infuriated by this response Virginie's mother lashed out at Sargent whose career was now in shambles. The artist fled to England where he was to gain fame and make a handsome living.

And, the painting rather than turning Virginie into the pariah that her mother feared later made her an international celebrity. It was so admired that King Louis II of Bavaria visited Paris just to see her, and Empress Elizabeth of Austria requested an introduction.

To this day the famous portrait of Madame X evokes a response whenever it is viewed.

Gioia Diliberto has fashioned an intriguing story of a vain, strong willed woman and Belle Epoque Paris.