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Why Not Learn from Master John Singer Sargent?
I try and shy away from describing art in bombastic terms. It can become a slippery slope of flowery language with no real takeaways. But when I’m studying the works of no less than John Singer Sargent, phrases like tour-de-force and mind-boggling just sort of slip out. I think that’s to be expected considering how deftly and powerfully he turns oil on canvas into art.
Powerful Brushstrokes
One of the primary oil painting techniques Sargent utilized that I find most intriguing is that every stroke attempts to describe the essence of an object. The texture of fur, the sheen of silk, the intricate knots in lace, the pattern of sunlight on water, a rosy-colored cheek — Sargent attempted to embody all of these in every stroke.
He wasn’t trying to add a bunch of strokes together and hopefully get the shimmy and swirl of the fringe on the dancer’s body in La Carmencita, for example. The paint strokes are shimmies and swirls.
Never Flat
That’s not to say that every stroke Sargent put down was perfect the first time. As a friend reminded me recently, Sargent painted and scraped and painted and scraped ad nauseam. But he got there!
Sargent also came from a point of view that form is never flat. Even a marble walkway as in Richard Morris Hunt or the open air behind a portrait sitter, is enlivened with color and texture that is visually interesting but never overpowering.
Choose the Moment
And Sargent didn’t just paint anything. He painted exceptional moments. That’s not to say he scorned the everyday, but he chose his compositions thoughtfully and well.
Even a simple portrait of a woman, a child or a group delivers impact because Sargent pushed to articulate something noteworthy that makes a viewer linger, as in the position of the two figures in the portrait of Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps Stokes or the hand gesture and askance look in Mabel Marquand.
Art history comes alive when you sit down and let it unfold. The oil painting lessons that Sargent teaches me — which I learned simply by looking at his works — are incredibly rewarding and enriching. But it is also valuable to have expert perspectives on artists past and present as well as context of wider art techniques.
Thanks for another interesting article! I never tire of learning more about Sargent — and agree completely that our adjectives are often inadequate to describe his brilliance. I look forward to reading more from you.
Hi I am Johannes Vloothuis. I give the live online classes for the company that publishes several art magazines, Northlight that publishes most art books, and the parent company of Artist Daily. You can find out more about these classes at http://improvemypaintings.com
To harmonize with this blog Here is a free study on the techniques of Sargent, Zorn, and Sorolla
Hi Courtney ,
I wanted to bring to your readers attention research done on John Singer Sargent’s art style and a new video ” John Singer Sargent : Secrets of Composition and Design” The research basically proposes that Sargent clearly used Gestalt methods of illusion in his art even before it was published. This put him ahead of other artists of his time. He did not reveal this, and did not keep a journal either.
Sargent is one of my most favorite artists if not my most favorite. When I learned of his scraping until there was just a ghost image left, I try to remember that I must be willing to destroy something which I feel is good nor matter how emotionally hard it is to do. It may be precious to me, but I need to get beyond it to improve the next session,
The only thing I dislike about viewing a Sargent’s work is that you frequently need a ladder to view it properly and there isn’t one around.
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Thanks for another interesting article! I never tire of learning more about Sargent — and agree completely that our adjectives are often inadequate to describe his brilliance. I look forward to reading more from you.
Hi I am Johannes Vloothuis. I give the live online classes for the company that publishes several art magazines, Northlight that publishes most art books, and the parent company of Artist Daily. You can find out more about these classes at http://improvemypaintings.com
To harmonize with this blog Here is a free study on the techniques of Sargent, Zorn, and Sorolla
https://livestream.com/accounts/5486320/events/7253936/videos/157314295
Enjoy!
Hi Courtney ,
I wanted to bring to your readers attention research done on John Singer Sargent’s art style and a new video ” John Singer Sargent : Secrets of Composition and Design” The research basically proposes that Sargent clearly used Gestalt methods of illusion in his art even before it was published. This put him ahead of other artists of his time. He did not reveal this, and did not keep a journal either.
Sargent really knew how to make the simple statement, but achieved great realism with it. I came across another Sargent tutorial here : http://www.artgraphica.net/free-art-lessons/pen-and-ink/john-singer-sargent-drawing.html
Sargent is one of my most favorite artists if not my most favorite. When I learned of his scraping until there was just a ghost image left, I try to remember that I must be willing to destroy something which I feel is good nor matter how emotionally hard it is to do. It may be precious to me, but I need to get beyond it to improve the next session,
The only thing I dislike about viewing a Sargent’s work is that you frequently need a ladder to view it properly and there isn’t one around.