John Sargent was an exceptional portrait painter born in Florence, Italy. He became the center of controversy when he exhibited his piece Madame X in the Paris Salon. He painted Madame Pierre Gautreau in a very revealing dress (for the time). He did paint other scantily dressed women but Madame X gained the most attention. Because of such criticism, he failed to make an established living as a painter in France. He relocated to England to gain a new, unbiased audience. His work quickly became popular and he became the country’s leading portrait painter. He eventually sold Madame X to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In his older years he experimented with different styles such as impressionism and landscapes (with no figures). Though he created a wide body of work he is still known as one of the worlds best portrait painters.
http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/12127
drawing into space 