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John Singer Sargent Impressionist Period

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The impressionist movement began in the mid to late 1800's in France. ... you object to people who are [disguised] to the extent of being uniform lavender... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: John Singer Sargent Impressionist Period


1
John Singer SargentImpressionist Period
2
Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose
Impressionist Art
  • The impressionist movement began in the mid to
    late 1800s in France.
  • Impressionist art is marked by visible
    brushstrokes, an emphasis on light and ordinary
    subject matter.
  • Photography was gaining popularity
  • Inspired candid poses
  • Inspired painters to extend their artistic
    expression beyond an exact copy of what the eye
    can see
  • Photographs were only black white then, so
    painters really concentrated on colors
  • Emphasis was on the vivid overall effect of the
    painting instead of the precise details of each
    object in the painting.

3
Fumee dAmbre Gris
  • How is this painting the same as a photograph?
  • Notice the pose, and the candid, immediate feel
    of the work -- as if the subject doesnt know
    the artist is there
  • How is this drawing different from a photograph?
  • Notice the visible brush strokes in the
    painting. The background is imperfect.

4
Mildred Carter
John Singer Sargent
  • John Singer Sargent was born on January 12, 1856
    in Florence, Italy to American parents. He died
    in 1925.
  • Sargent was the most successful portrait painter
    of his era, and is still known primarily for his
    portrait work. However, he was also a gifted
    landscape painter.
  • Sargent created over 900 oil paintings, and over
    2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches
    and charcoal drawings in his lifetime. This is
    an astounding amount of work and testifies to his
    passion for his art.
  • Johns parents traveled through Europe
    extensively throughout Johns youth. His father
    was a well-respected doctor, and when John was
    older, his social standing helped him to get work
    as a portrait artist for aristocrats.

5
Lady with Parasol
  • When John was 13, he began helping a landscape
    artist in his studio. It was here that John
    began painting by copying the artists
    watercolors.
  • At age 18, John began studying under an artist in
    Paris. Six months later, he is admitted to the
    Ecole des Beaux Artes in Paris, an extremely
    prestigious Art school.
  • By the time he was 27, John was a well-known
    artist. He continued his travels around the
    world and found inspiration wherever he went.
  • Impressionist art is often spoken of in terms of
    movement. What do you think that means? Do
    you see movement in this painting.
  • How does the artist use color here to create an
    overall effect?
  • Notice all of the different shades of white that
    are used from beige to pink to grey and blue.
  • What about this painting demonstrates the
    impressionist style?

6
Madame X
  • This is one of Sargents most famous works and
    was also his favorite. It was painted in 1884
    when John was 28 years old.
  • The painting is huge -- measuring over 7 feet
    tall 3.5 feet wide. Imagine how it would feel
    to be standing before this work.
  • After meeting Madame X (Madame Gaureau) once in
    Paris, he pleaded with a mutual friend to
    convince her to sit for the portrait.
  • In letters he wrote while painting her portrait,
    he wrote of his strugglewith the unpaintable
    beautyof Madame Gaureau.
  • He submitted this portrait to the Salon (a very
    prestigious art show) in Paris, and expected the
    judges to reject his work, but they accepted it,
    and the portrait was shown in 1884. 
  • The work was an immediate scandal!
  • What did the Parisian public in 1884 find
    objectionable? Well.

7
  • This photo shows the painting as it hung at the
    salon of '84 with the strap off her shoulder --
    much more daring than the portrait currently
    hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.   
  • When this portrait was first exhibited in Paris
    in 1884, the public found it scandalous the
    painting was deemed too provocative. The dress
    itself was scandalous in 1884, but the strap
    slipped off the shoulder was just too much!
  • Her family demanded that the painting be
    withdrawn from the Salon. The painting was not
    withdrawn however John left Paris with the
    painting before the Exhibition ended. He
    believed that Madame X and her family had plans
    to destroy the painting. (He was right.)
  • After the show, John repainted the strap to its
    present position. This, apparently, had gone
    unnoticed for close to a hundred years until an
    art scholar discovered it in an old photograph
    depicting the Salon. What an AMAZING discovery!
    and in many ways totally alters the appearance of
    the image.
  • Sargent eventually exhibited it at the Worlds
    Fair in San Francisco in 1916 and sold it to the
    Metropolitan Museum of Art for 1,000 British
    pounds.
  • By that time (1916,) styles had progressed
    sufficiently that the painting was not seen as
    scandalous in any respect. Too, John had
    repainted the strap.

8
  • What is extraordinary about this painting? Why
    do you think it was Sargents favorite work?
  • What do you think of Sargents use of colors
    here?
  • In his letters, he joked about the color of
    Madame Xs skin, writing, Do you object to
    people who are disguised to the extent of being
    uniform lavender colour all over? If so you
    would not care for my sitter but she has the
    most beautiful lines
  • What kind of woman do you think that Madame X is?
    What do you know about her from looking at the
    painting?
  • What do you think of her pose?
  • Does this painting look like a photograph?
  • What about it is like a photo and what about it
    is different?

9
Lady Agnew of Lochnaw
  • This is another of Sargents most famous
    portraits. It was painted in 1892 when Sargent
    was 36 years old.
  • The painting was an astounding success and was
    praised by art critics as one of the greatest
    portraits of all time.
  • What do you think makes this portrait special?
    How is it different from other portraits you have
    seen think about paintings of kings and queens.
  • What do you know about Lady Agnew just from what
    you see in the portrait?
  • What elements of the impressionist style are used
    in this painting?
  • How do you think the use of colors make a
    difference in this painting? Imagine that her
    dress were red or black. How would that change
    the tone of the painting?

10
Frederick Law Olmstead
  • This portrait was done in 1895.
  • The subject is widely recognized as the father of
    American landscape architecture. He designed
    Central Park in NYC.
  • This portrait was done towards the end of
    Olmsteads life. Sargent received pressure from
    Olmsteads wife to make Olmstead look more
    healthy and vibrant than he was at the time.
  • It is impossible to know if he bowed to her
    wishes, but to do so would have been out of
    character for Sargent.
  • Some critics have said that this portrait is a
    weak effort on Sargents part.
  • A particular criticism is that the background is
    contrived and unrealistic.
  • Sargent did paint this indoors, and added the
    flora from his imagination.
  • What do you think?
  • What do you think Sargent was trying to do in
    this portrait?
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