It is surprising and strange then that most of Sargent’s paintings from his 1890 trip are dull and mute, showing little of this fascination with Arabia. For example, Old Man with a White Beard (1890-95), with its monotone colors, denounces any previous colorful perception of Arabia as the intriguing land of allure in Arabian Nights. The drab, unfinished portrait presents a burdened man in dark shades of burnt sienna, with a beard that is not, as the title states, white, but rather yellow-gray and dirty looking. The beige turban that wraps around the man’s head and the green-gray cloak that warms his body suggest weariness, in both the subject of the painting and more importantly, in the painter’s spirit. Yet while as odd as the dreary colors are, the painting’s lifeless style, antithetical to the opulence and grandeur of the Arabian Nights, is comprehensible in light of Sargent’s purpose for painting it. Old Man with a White Beard was one of several preparatory studies Sargent completed for his “History of Religion” mural, commissioned by the Boston Public Library in 1890 (Kilmurray and Ormond 46). To Sargent, the restrictions that a commissioned work by nature required stifled his creativity. He no longer had free reign to incorporate his personal responses and interests into the painting; instead, the client, in this case the Boston Public Library, dictated the artwork: its colors used, subject focused on, emotions portrayed, and more. This confining nature extinguished Sargent’s lust for Arabia and for the Arabian Nights in these preparatory studies, for the very reason that they refused to allow him to explore his passion. Refrained from such freedom, Sargent painted more listlessly and less fervently than expected for a man mesmerized by the Nights.
Although Sargent viewed the commission glumly, he nevertheless proceeded with it because by painting such a large-scale work (Ratcliffe 129) would advance his public image. After relocating to England in 1886, Sargent faced the prospect of creating from scratch a reputable public image that would draw commissions. The “History of Religion” mural was an opportunity to further raise his status in the art world. Its sheer size (Ratcliffe 129) would most certainly capture the attention of noted critics and potential clients, and also widen the breadth of Sargent’s repertoire from solely portrait painting to include mural painting. His eagerness to propel his reputation however, did not spill into his mood when it came time to actually paint. Old Man with a White Beard was not an isolated instance when Sargent felt gloomy, a result of the restricting nature of commissions. His enthusiasm for the Arabian Nights is also absent Old Man with a White Turban (1890-91), another painting with a monotone color range. The faint grayish-brown background contrasts little with the pale turban of the subject, the rust-color of his face, and the tawny hue of his cloak. The painting, with no luscious collision of colors, presents a uniform color value in which nothing stands out. This is perhaps because nothing in these restricted, in terms of subject matter, studies attracted the attention of Sargent. He painted the studies not because he felt emotional attachment to or interest in the subject, but rather because his mural necessitated intensive preparatory study.