The scandal resulting from the painting's controversial reception at the Paris Salon of 1884 amounted to a temporary setback to Sargent while in France,[2] though it may have helped him later establish a successful career in Britain and America.

[4] Her unconventional beauty made her an object of fascination for artists; the American painter Edward Simmons claimed that he "could not stop stalking her as one does a deer.

[5]: 14–15  Sargent was an expatriate like Gautreau, and their collaboration has been interpreted as motivated by a shared desire to attain high status in French society.

[4] Little progress was made during the winter of 1883, as Gautreau was distracted by social engagements, and was not by nature inclined to the discipline of sitting for a portrait.

At her suggestion, Sargent traveled to her estate in Brittany in June, where he commenced a series of preparatory works in pencil, watercolors, and oils.

Like the eventual portrait, an oil sketch entitled Madame Gautreau Drinking a Toast (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum), shows the subject's profile and bare arms against a dark background, but is of a more freely brushed and informal character.

Just as she had been in Paris, in the country Gautreau was bored by the process of sitting; here, too, there were social engagements, as well as the responsibilities of tending to her four-year-old daughter, her mother, house guests, and a full domestic staff.

[5]: 17  For painting the unusual tone of Gautreau's pale skin, Sargent used a palette composed of lead white, rose madder, vermilion, viridian, and bone black.

[6] By the fall, Sargent's interest in the venture was nearing completion, "The summer is definitely over and with it, I admit, is my pleasure at being at Les Chênes [Gautreau's estate]".

Most disconcerting is the whiteness of the skin, an overt contrivance of "aristocratic pallor"; by contrast her red ear is a jarring reminder of the color of flesh unadorned.

[7] Sargent chose the pose for Gautreau carefully: her body boldly faces forward while her head is turned in profile.

As originally exhibited, one strap of her gown had fallen down Gautreau's right shoulder, suggesting the possibility of further revelation; "One more struggle", wrote a critic in Le Figaro, "and the lady will be free".

The image's erotic suggestion is of a distinctly upper-class sort: unnaturally pale skin, cinched waist, severity of profile and an emphasis on aristocratic bone structure all imply a distant sexuality "under the professional control of the sitter", rather than offered for the viewer's delectation.

[8] The painting features several subtle classical references: sirens of Greek mythology adorn the table's legs, and the crescent tiara worn by Gautreau symbolizes the goddess Diana.

While some artists praised Sargent's style, Curtis wrote that the general public reaction was overwhelmingly negative: "All the women jeer.

One critic for L'Artiste wrote, "Of all the undressed women at the Salon this year, the most interesting is Madame Gautreau ... because of the indecency of her dress that looks like it is about to fall off.

"[10]: 142–143 Some reviews accused Sargent of trying to manufacture scandal, with a writer for Art Amateur calling Madame X "a wilful exaggeration of every one of his vicious eccentricities, simply for the purpose of being talked about and provoking argument.

"[17][16] The art world's changing response to the portrait was noted by the New York Herald in its May 12, 1916, headline: "Sargent Masterpiece Rejected by Subject Now Acquired by Museum.

"[21] Art historian Elizabeth Renes explains that "Sargent uses two techniques in Madame X to bring focus to her 'whiteness' and her 'cosmetic exterior': the dark background, which creates a high contrast to further highlight her skin, and the uncomfortable, sculptural pose, paired with the simplicity of the gown, which forces more of her flesh into view.

"[23] Art historian Susan Sidlauskas lists "the brazenness of [Gautreau's] self-display; the singularity of her adornments, both sartorial and cosmetic; and the crudeness of her American ambitiousness" as "evident" reasons why audiences were offended by Madame X. Sidlauskas also argues that, on a subconscious level, "Gautreau aroused the anxieties of her audience" as her carefully-styled appearance rested in an uncanny valley between life and death.

By inviting attention, but not necessarily attraction, "Gautreau – through Sargent – brazenly defied the conventions for feminine display, and in so doing spurned the visible signs of masculine possession.