Sargent was one of the most influential portrait painters of his time, acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic and close friends with many leading artists, writers, actors and musicians. Yet despite leaving a huge body of work, we know little about Sargent the man. His portraits are intimate and experimental, conveying both the superficial appearances and psychological depths of his sitters' personalities, using the fluid brushwork that had been introduced by his friends the Impressionists. Reflecting the decadence and elegance of the Edwardian era, with theatricality central to his style, he provoked scandal, condemnation and praise. A truly international man, he became celebrated as the favourite portrait painter of the upper classes, but partly because of this, he has since often been dismissed. In reality, he was a diverse, skillful and prolific artist of landscapes, figures and murals – but this was the period of Cubism and Fauvism, and many have judged him negatively for not joining in these avant-garde movements. His style combines the spectacular brushwork he learned from the French Impressionists with an acute interest in human psychology. He also fused techniques from Velázquez, Titian, Manet and Japanese art, all consolidated by his own adroit artistry.