John Singer Sargent: Venetian Figures and Landscapes 1898-1913: Complete Paintings: Volume VI
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
John Singer Sargent: Venetian Figures and Landscapes 1898-1913: Complete Paintings: Volume VI Details
About the Author Richard Ormond is a Sargent scholar and independent art historian. He is a great-nephew of John Singer Sargent. Elaine Kilmurray is coauthor and research director of the John Singer Sargent catalogue raisonné project, of which this is the sixth volume. Read more
Reviews
I hesitated about spending the money on yet *another* Sargent book. (I own many books on Sargent, as he is one of my favorite artists.) But this was worth the price! The reproductions are excellent. This book is beautiful, but goes beyond just a 'coffee table - look pretty' book. As an artist, when I look at a book I hope to glean information about how an image was painted and this book really delivers this information, I'd say like no other book I own, except maybe my "Sargent and the Sea" book. For example: there are doodle sketches of gondoliers, old photos of Venice taken during Sargent's time, and modern-day photos, then we also get to see his painting using this reference material. Similar groupings (locations) of works are presented, so you can see the subjects and angles he liked to paint. Especially rewarding, is understanding from this information, that Sargent has changed certain things, like omitting buildings, enhancing/lightening shadows, etc. This information is critical to understanding how Sargent's mind composed the picture and I love absorbing this knowledge. There are some reproductions of other painters too, such as Brabazon who painted the same scene. Additionaly, the text, which I skimmed, actually has some interesting information, such as anecdotes about if the artist was painting in a boat, who he gave the painting too, etc.
