Why John Singer Sargent's 1884 painting, Madame X, scandalized Paris John Singer Sargent's 1884 portrait of Madame Pierre Gautreau, famously known as Madam X, truly earns its iconic status. As an artist, what strikes me most is its sheer graphic power. Even Too much skin! Thats what they said when they saw this painting. Funny what makes a scandal. , , Portrait of Madame X was painted by John Singer Sargent in 1884. The subject was Virginie Amlie Portrait of a Woman Wearing a Black Dress Digital Collection Woman in Black by Edouard Vuillard Madame X (1884), John Singer Sargent's famed painting of a woman in a stunning black dress, is today considered an iconic work of American art, even though its origins actually lie in