Stevens took on private students, including the international superstar Sarah Bernhardt, who was an accomplished painter and sculptor. Another famous student was the American Impressionist William Merritt Chase.... He first painted Sarah Bernhardt in the year that they met, 1887, in a dramatic role as Mary Magdalene. Commissioned by dealer Georges Petit, its provocative and sensual depiction shocked the public, who were more comfortable with traditional versions showing Mary as a remorseful penitent. [https://eclecticlight.co/2016/07/12/into-the-light-alfred-stevens-more-than-just-a-pretty-face/]