Elkins' Version of "Spanish Dancer" by John Singer Sargent

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I've always admired the work of John Singer Sargent and after my first copy of his famous "Madame X" portrait, I turned my attention to one of his larger and more complex works, "El Jaleo".  This is a large mural piece currently housed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston. When we moved into our new house in Nov '18, an entry way alcove presented the perfect location for a large painting.  But since it required a portrait orientation, it gave me an excuse to simplify my plans and focus on the dancer only.  She, after all, is the primary focus of the larger piece and Sargent captures her fascinating posture in this dance. Sargent created "Spanish Dancer" as a study of the main character  who shines in the spotlight of "El Jaleo", among multiple background characters.  The original "Spanish Dancer" study resides in a private collection. Below is a brief history of how Sargent developed this material: 

The painting was inspired by a five-month trip Sargent made through Spain and North Africa in 1879, which also yielded a smaller oil painting, The Spanish Dance. Chronologically and thematically, the painting is related to a series of works Sargent painted during a subsequent stay in Venice; these, too, include dramatic light effects, exotic models, and restrained coloring. Impressed by the costumes and theatrical manner of Gypsy dance, the artist returned to Paris and began work on a large canvas whose scale suggested a performing stage. The name El Jaleo refers to both the broad meaning of jaleo, a ruckus, as well as the specific dance known as jaleo de jerez.

Sargent planned the composition of El Jaleo for at least a year. The painting was preceded by a series of preliminary studies, focusing particularly on the dancer's stylized posture.