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John Sargent
Sir Evan Charteris (1864 – 1940) was an English barrister who published his notable biography of his friend John Singer Sargent two years after his subject's 1925 death.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1927
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August 22, 2023
Biography of John Singer Sargent written in 1927 so not too long after the artist’s’ death. It includes numerous examples of his letters, a chronological account of his life and the addition of an “ In Memoriam” by Vernon Lee, a lifelong friend of Sargent, and the subject of at least one of his amazing oil sketches ( reproduced).
The overall impression the author gives of the man is more or less the one that has lasted to our days with slight reinterpretation. Arguably, Evan Charteris, shaped the notion we have of Sargent as a person and, frankly, nobody would be in a better position to understand him since they shared a similar outlook: aristocratic, Anglican and narrowly centered in their circle of posh fiends. I find most of these conservative Edwardians write in a clear, organized and elegant prose with allowances to humorous anecdotes and taking nothing too terribly seriously. Charteris is no exception. Do we loose anything in the process? Bouts of depression, regrets, secret desires...all of that is nowhere in sight and it might well be that Sargent was indeed the somewhat puritan (he liked smoking tsk tsk) , reserved, humble and gentlemanly fellow who shunned publicity and lived in a gilded age unencumbered by financial woes or political and social upheaval. A man, nevertheless, "cursed" with prodigious skill in watercolor and oil painting from a very early age and "burdened" with an innate elegance and talent. Apparently not only in painting, but in music as well.
Born in Florence to American parents, the book describes a charmed childhood travelling around Europe in the company of his mother and his sister. Not much is made from the fact that Sargent was surrounded by feminine company that catered to his every need all his life. His father hoped little JSS would pursue a career in the Navy but graciously acquiesced to his son’s desire to become an artist under the condition that he should strive to give his chosen profession all his dedication. To that end, he was sent to study in Paris where he soon gained notoriety. Most notably in the atelier of Carolus Duran. Some interesting comments about the teaching methods of Parisian schools are provided.
His time in Paris, interestingly enough, coincides with the rise of Impressionism. The book describes Sargent’s opinions on many of the artists of his time and his odd account of Monet’s - for whom JSS had great admiration- chromatic dissolution.
After a minor scandal in the Paris Salon provided by what would become one of his most recognizable portraits, “Madame Gautreau”, he moved to London and became the destination portraitist of high-society. In the process of gaining acclaim, he much reduced the production of his early pictures of the world at large, be it Venetian water boys or Spanish street dancers and impromptu watercolors. He worked quite hard apparently leaving all domestic arrangements to his sister. He did still extensively and one could argue his watercolours done on site represent a more dazzling measure of his vision than his glittery portraits. But his "poughtraits", as he called them, paid handsomely and allowed him a lavish lifestyle despite the fact that he probably didn't ever know ow much money he made. The book helpfully offers some estimates on teh rpices fetched by his production. Portraiture, as he himself declared, obliged him to paint those that shouldn’t be painted and ignore those who are begging to be drawn. To judge from the sitters demands, it must have exhausted his patience.
Surprisingly enough and in contrast with most artists biographies some attention is paid to his technique and teaching methods. The book follows a chronological order but every chapter also touches on a general theme, be it music, Sargent's temperament or the attention one should pay to his rendition of hands, dogs and the softening of features required to please a client. Also included are Sargent's stints as a teacher, a helper of souls in need, a decorator of massive spaces like the Boston Library, a selective reader of books and friends, and a witness "documenting" the war effort in France, a chapter that just confirms how out of touch he was with the realities of everyday people. Regarding the war time, the author charitably suggests that Sargent was too shy to express his true emotions but , to the credit of the painter himself, he admits on several occasion to be out of his element among his complaints of discomfort and praises to this or that general's bonhomie. It is no wonder that, with the exception of his watercolor -which could have been done at any time war or no war- his front paintings like "Gassed" or the portrait of 17 Army generals lack any sense of the disastrous events that overwhelmed Europe. But one can't be to critical of a man whose artwork stands beside the great portraitists of the past like Hals, Velazquez or Van Dyck, more than with the art of his own time and the future.
The overall impression the author gives of the man is more or less the one that has lasted to our days with slight reinterpretation. Arguably, Evan Charteris, shaped the notion we have of Sargent as a person and, frankly, nobody would be in a better position to understand him since they shared a similar outlook: aristocratic, Anglican and narrowly centered in their circle of posh fiends. I find most of these conservative Edwardians write in a clear, organized and elegant prose with allowances to humorous anecdotes and taking nothing too terribly seriously. Charteris is no exception. Do we loose anything in the process? Bouts of depression, regrets, secret desires...all of that is nowhere in sight and it might well be that Sargent was indeed the somewhat puritan (he liked smoking tsk tsk) , reserved, humble and gentlemanly fellow who shunned publicity and lived in a gilded age unencumbered by financial woes or political and social upheaval. A man, nevertheless, "cursed" with prodigious skill in watercolor and oil painting from a very early age and "burdened" with an innate elegance and talent. Apparently not only in painting, but in music as well.
Born in Florence to American parents, the book describes a charmed childhood travelling around Europe in the company of his mother and his sister. Not much is made from the fact that Sargent was surrounded by feminine company that catered to his every need all his life. His father hoped little JSS would pursue a career in the Navy but graciously acquiesced to his son’s desire to become an artist under the condition that he should strive to give his chosen profession all his dedication. To that end, he was sent to study in Paris where he soon gained notoriety. Most notably in the atelier of Carolus Duran. Some interesting comments about the teaching methods of Parisian schools are provided.
His time in Paris, interestingly enough, coincides with the rise of Impressionism. The book describes Sargent’s opinions on many of the artists of his time and his odd account of Monet’s - for whom JSS had great admiration- chromatic dissolution.
After a minor scandal in the Paris Salon provided by what would become one of his most recognizable portraits, “Madame Gautreau”, he moved to London and became the destination portraitist of high-society. In the process of gaining acclaim, he much reduced the production of his early pictures of the world at large, be it Venetian water boys or Spanish street dancers and impromptu watercolors. He worked quite hard apparently leaving all domestic arrangements to his sister. He did still extensively and one could argue his watercolours done on site represent a more dazzling measure of his vision than his glittery portraits. But his "poughtraits", as he called them, paid handsomely and allowed him a lavish lifestyle despite the fact that he probably didn't ever know ow much money he made. The book helpfully offers some estimates on teh rpices fetched by his production. Portraiture, as he himself declared, obliged him to paint those that shouldn’t be painted and ignore those who are begging to be drawn. To judge from the sitters demands, it must have exhausted his patience.
Surprisingly enough and in contrast with most artists biographies some attention is paid to his technique and teaching methods. The book follows a chronological order but every chapter also touches on a general theme, be it music, Sargent's temperament or the attention one should pay to his rendition of hands, dogs and the softening of features required to please a client. Also included are Sargent's stints as a teacher, a helper of souls in need, a decorator of massive spaces like the Boston Library, a selective reader of books and friends, and a witness "documenting" the war effort in France, a chapter that just confirms how out of touch he was with the realities of everyday people. Regarding the war time, the author charitably suggests that Sargent was too shy to express his true emotions but , to the credit of the painter himself, he admits on several occasion to be out of his element among his complaints of discomfort and praises to this or that general's bonhomie. It is no wonder that, with the exception of his watercolor -which could have been done at any time war or no war- his front paintings like "Gassed" or the portrait of 17 Army generals lack any sense of the disastrous events that overwhelmed Europe. But one can't be to critical of a man whose artwork stands beside the great portraitists of the past like Hals, Velazquez or Van Dyck, more than with the art of his own time and the future.
December 24, 2014
An interesting contemporary biography/reminiscence of Sargent written soon after his death by a friend and author. The work includes contributions by others including the once popular, but now largely forgotten, authoress, Vernon Lee, a friends of the painter since childhood. It also recounts the story of Sargent's meeting with Claire Claremont, whose story forms the basis of Henry James's novella "The Aspern Papers".
September 22, 2015
This book was written a mere 20 years or so after John Singer Sargent died. A truly enjoyable read, I liked that the author included examples of Sargent's personal correspondence as he described the artist's life. We sense the precociousness of the young Sargent from a couple of letters he wrote when he was just 9 or 10 years old. We learn that he grew into an accomplished pianist as well as a master of watercolors and oils. The biography builds from his childhood in Italy and we travel with him and his family. Sargent's life was full of journeys: France, Austria, Spain, Morocco, England, and the United States. We learn the origins of his passion for plein air watercolors and the stories surrounding the subjects of his many portrait paintings.
I finished this book before attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art's wonderful Sargent exhibit which ends October 4, 2015. The book's author Evan Charteris discusses Sargent's many close and famous friends who Sargent frequently painted as well as his commissioned patrons. From reading his book I recognized many of the names of the portraits in the Met's Exhibit which is called "Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends". The following is how the Met describes the exhibit.
"Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends brings together ninety-two of the artist's paintings and drawings of members of his impressive artistic circle. The individuals seen through Sargent's eyes represent a range of leading figures in the creative arts of the time such as artists Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin, writers Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry James, and the actor Ellen Terry, among others. The exhibition features some of Sargent's most celebrated full-length portraits (Dr. Pozzi at Home, Hammer Museum), his dazzling subject paintings created in the Italian countryside (Group with Parasols [Siesta], private collection), and brilliant watercolors (In the Generalife, The Metropolitan Museum of Art) alongside lesser-known portrait sketches of his intimate friends (Vernon Lee, 1881, Tate). The exhibition explores the friendships between Sargent and his artistic sitters, as well as the significance of these relationships to his life and art."
#MetSargent
The size of many of the portraits was impressive. A wonderful exhibit featuring oils, sketches, and watercolors. Read the book. See the Exhibit. Link to the exhibit:
https://soundcloud.com/metmuseum/sets...
I finished this book before attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art's wonderful Sargent exhibit which ends October 4, 2015. The book's author Evan Charteris discusses Sargent's many close and famous friends who Sargent frequently painted as well as his commissioned patrons. From reading his book I recognized many of the names of the portraits in the Met's Exhibit which is called "Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends". The following is how the Met describes the exhibit.
"Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends brings together ninety-two of the artist's paintings and drawings of members of his impressive artistic circle. The individuals seen through Sargent's eyes represent a range of leading figures in the creative arts of the time such as artists Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin, writers Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry James, and the actor Ellen Terry, among others. The exhibition features some of Sargent's most celebrated full-length portraits (Dr. Pozzi at Home, Hammer Museum), his dazzling subject paintings created in the Italian countryside (Group with Parasols [Siesta], private collection), and brilliant watercolors (In the Generalife, The Metropolitan Museum of Art) alongside lesser-known portrait sketches of his intimate friends (Vernon Lee, 1881, Tate). The exhibition explores the friendships between Sargent and his artistic sitters, as well as the significance of these relationships to his life and art."
#MetSargent
The size of many of the portraits was impressive. A wonderful exhibit featuring oils, sketches, and watercolors. Read the book. See the Exhibit. Link to the exhibit:
https://soundcloud.com/metmuseum/sets...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews