John Singer Sargent led a remarkable life. Not only was he preternaturally talented (as a draughtsman and painter) but he pursued his art by traveling to wonderful places. His deserved reputation as the finest portraitist of his time opened doors belonging to the rich and famous—many of whom would become social acquaintances, if not good friends. He befriended, travelled with, and captured on canvas some of the most interesting artists of his day. He also painted compelling and beautiful "everyday people" on his trips around the world: Italy, Spain, North Africa, America. His talent as an artist—and his alacrity in diverse social environments—provided a wonderful life for a man who aimed to live life to the fullest. Wouldn't Sargent have been a wonderful dinner guest?
Sargent was born traveling. His American parents were cosmopolitan nomads, moving around Europe. They happened to be in Florence when little John was born. (And not a bad place for an artist to be born!) He studied in Paris, after which he spent some of his Twenties painting (and absorbing the masters) in Italy, Spain, North Africa and the Netherlands. Sometimes he traveled with artist-companions. His commercial career, painting expensive society portraits of rich and important people, took place in Paris and London—with occasional trips abroad. These decades paid the rent. They also made him famous. But Sargent had different things in mind. At the age of 51 (in 1907), he closed-down his portrait studio and spent the rest of his life pursuing his "personal" art—traveling to paint landscapes, architecture, cityscapes, work sites, nudes, and "genre scenes" of everyday people interacting-with, moving-through or relaxing-in their everyday environments. Friends, family, paid models, or other artists became his subject. So did his intriguing locales become magical places—places he makes me want to visit.
Shown above, a spontaneous and wonderful rendering of the the north façade of the Alhambra, Patio de los Arrayanes ("Court of the Myrtles"), the Medieval Islamic palace in the South of Spain. Sargent painted it in 1879 when he was only 23. Although the palace's architecture is wonderfully decorated with stucco ornamentation, Sargent does not labor on the details of the building. Instead, he captures the magical light and the magnificent atmosphere of the scene. And yet, despite his confident, spontaneous, "bravura" brushwork, one senses that every detail has been rendered. In my opinion, the best artists are those who can convey as much beauty as possible with as little effort as possible—whether in paintings, music, writing or sculpture. (Note that "seeming effortless" is not quite the same as "truly effortless"—but effortlessness has always been a level of cool to which we all aspire)
Sargent visited Venice in the early 1880's where he met James MacNeil Whistler—an older and already-famous American artist. Sargent was influenced by Whistler's sublime use of controlled color palettes. Whistler also provided advice to his younger colleague. Sargent spent six months on his first visit to Venice when he painted Venise par Temps Gris, ("Venice in Grey Weather," 1882). This is not your typical "Venetian Tourist Scene"—although several famous monuments appear in the background. I love the workaday bustle which Sargent captures: tied-up boats bobbing upon the canal while pedestrians hustle about their daily tasks. The painting also conveys a mood of a certain moment of a particular day.
Most interestingly: I swear that this picture shows the same view I see out my window at the Hotel Bucintoro—the hotel we book when we're in Venice. The Hotel Bucintoro is located next to Arsenale, the naval "base" in Venice since medieval times. Besides the wonderful view, I love the hotel's location for many reasons: it's away from the most touristy areas, it borders a "real neighborhood" of real Venetians (with real food shops), there is a lovely garden nearby, and there is a close-by water bus stop which takes one to and from the airport. The Arsenale also enjoys a continuous parade of handsome sailors who seem to be coming and going from the building—a detail John Singer Sargent would not have missed.
When 21-year-old John Singer Sargent visited Brittany, a peninsula on the coast of Northwestern of France, he painted in Cancale, a region popular with visiting artists. (Perhaps it is the light.) En Route pour la Pêche ("Setting Out to Fish," 1878) depicts a scene of women and children preparing to collect oysters. At the time, outdoor genre scenes were especially popular with the public. This picture was the first landscape he ever exhibited and only his second entry to the Paris Salon. The picture was a hit.
That same year, Sargent painted another, very similar version which he sent to America, Fishing for Oysters at Cancale, 1878 (now in the Boston Museum of Fine Art). Like in Paris, the American version was a tour-de-force example of Sargent's incredible ability to capture light and an undeniable marine coast environment. One American critic called the painting "one of the best studies of flashing daylight ever made by an American artist."
Sargent hired models including several women and children. Shown above is one of his quick renderings—itself a frame-worthy work of art. This "oil sketch" is reminiscent of the work of English painter Henry Scott Tuke. The two men did know each other, having met in Paris (1881-1883) while Tuke was studying there. Sargent's sketch, above, predates their meeting. It would be interesting to know if one man's work influenced the other's.
Let's end on this delightfully restful little scene—an al fresco table, shaded beneath a latticed pergola. Nineteen-year-old John Singer Sargent was visiting his family in their (current) home on the coast of Brittany, in Northwest France, when he painted Wineglasses (1875). It's remarkable enough that a teenaged (American) boy would recognize the magic of such a serene (and grown-up) setting—but then he captured its every nuance in oil. It's one of Sargent's first en plein air works. It shows his early mastery of light, atmosphere, and environment. When I study the picture, I say to myself, "There is nowhere else I would rather be than right there."
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