John Singer Sargent: Murals in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

by John Singer Sargent (Artist)

Born in Italy, trained in Paris and a resident of London, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) became Boston's favorite painter in the 1880s. His commissions from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to decorate its new building's grand staircase and rotunda resulted in one of Sargent's last and most ambitious works. Sargent regarded the entire space as a giant canvas and brought together all the pictorial, decorative and architectural elements with a painter's skill and vision. This compact volume offers a guide to the murals and their surroundings, elucidating their allegorical subjects drawn from classical mythology to emphasize the museum's role as the guardian of fine arts.

Genres: Art

88 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear, approachable, and informative. a good guide to read alongside the murals themselves. Pointed my attention to Sargent's intentional matte color scheme, painterly elements in the bas reliefs, and intentions behind the particular mythical figures and their placement. Nice notes on the significance of Boston for him, particularly as a mural artist.

I'm glad that the museum underwent an extensive restoration process to re-enliven these works. I enjoy the 20's flair to classical themes.