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Sargent: The Masterworks
A lush new volume devoted to the best works by beloved American Impressionist and portraitist John Singer Sargent, whose dazzling use of light and color depicts modern subjects with arresting intimacy.
An ideal introduction to the painter's work, Sargent: The Masterworks features 100 of his most beloved paintings. Illustrating all aspects of his diverse oeuvre--portraits, landscapes, mural commissions--in oil and watercolor, this handsome new book includes works from both private and public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's infamous Madame X.
Author Stephanie L. Herdrich draws on a wealth of new research to provide both an essential overview and a more nuanced understanding of the great American painter. Richly illustrated, the book's three chapters cover the artist's career from his childhood and early years in Paris, to his mid-career portraits made in England and United States, and his later years painting out of doors. An illustrated chronology contains fascinating details and archival imagery about the artist's life. Sargent's cosmopolitan upbringing and education made him perfectly suited to capture the upwardly mobile bourgeoisie and aristocrats of his era, creating sensual portraits that depict his sitters with startling vibrancy. Though he achieved tremendous success in portraiture, Sargent focused on painting outdoors after 1900, achieving the most brilliant and personal images of his career. One of the greatest portraitists and watercolorists of his time, Sargent remains one of the most well-known and well-loved of all American artists.
An ideal introduction to the painter's work, Sargent: The Masterworks features 100 of his most beloved paintings. Illustrating all aspects of his diverse oeuvre--portraits, landscapes, mural commissions--in oil and watercolor, this handsome new book includes works from both private and public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's infamous Madame X.
Author Stephanie L. Herdrich draws on a wealth of new research to provide both an essential overview and a more nuanced understanding of the great American painter. Richly illustrated, the book's three chapters cover the artist's career from his childhood and early years in Paris, to his mid-career portraits made in England and United States, and his later years painting out of doors. An illustrated chronology contains fascinating details and archival imagery about the artist's life. Sargent's cosmopolitan upbringing and education made him perfectly suited to capture the upwardly mobile bourgeoisie and aristocrats of his era, creating sensual portraits that depict his sitters with startling vibrancy. Though he achieved tremendous success in portraiture, Sargent focused on painting outdoors after 1900, achieving the most brilliant and personal images of his career. One of the greatest portraitists and watercolorists of his time, Sargent remains one of the most well-known and well-loved of all American artists.
- GenresArtNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
Published March 27, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 23, 2024
A beautiful book, which is no more than one would expect from Rizzoli, with a fine essay on Sargent's life, career and influences. But in a book like this what matters most are the illustrations and those in this book are superb. In an age where so much is available online it is worth remarking that the difference between a reproduction of paintings on a computer screen and in a fine quality photographs in books like this is almost as absolute as that between the finest reproduction and an original. Welcome as the availability of so much online is it is also astonishing to see the difference that sitting with a superb collection of images, such as this book, makes to one's appreciation of a work of art. Looking at a computer image may not be quite like viewing a work through 'a glass darkly' but it is viewing a flat and lifeless image. Looking at the images in this book is as close to the visceral reaction of astonishment one gets when looking at an original.
The essay about Sargent is perfectly good but, to be honest in my opinion what Sargent needs is not a biography by an academic, but a work of imaginative fiction like the novel 'The Master' by Colm Toibin about the equally the equally illusive Henry James. Lacking that we can only go back again and again to Sargent's work, which like that Henry James, tells us the most important things about him. I think it is no coincidence that the greatest 19th century American writer, Henry James, and the greatest American painter John Singer Sargent should have been both friends and admirers of each others work, but unknowable because there is so little real information about their inner and/or personal lives.
When you look at Sargent's many portraits of women you see the women that Henry James wrote about. These are not simply clothes horses or the vapid arm candy of powerful men. They are personalities of great force and perhaps it took the genius of men of no conventional power to see and represent it. I could start naming individual portraits that support my thesis but that would only tempt you to view the image on line. You must see them, or at least a decent reproduction in a book like this, to understand what I mean. So many of the finest of Sargent's portraits are in great public collections but that doesn't mean they are readily accessible. I may get to the Metropolitan in New York but I will never now enter the Carnagie Museum, Pittsburg ('Homer Saint-Gaudens and his Mother'); the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles ('Dr. Pozzi at Home'); or the Des Moines Art Centre, Des Moines ('Portraits of Edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron'). I doubt if I will even revisit Belenheim Palace, which is in the UK, to see the remarkable portrait of the 9th duke of Marlborough, his wife Consuello and their sons.
In the end I couldn't resist quoting examples but I stopped at four because once started it becomes ever harder to start.
The essay on Sargent is frank in its exploration of his sexuality but the truth is we can't know or at least not with the sense of suriety that a proper biography demands. But when I look at works such as his 'Nude Study of Thomas E. McKeller' I see an artist exploring and representing the beauty he loves. No one looks at the nude or partially clothed women of Rubens, Rembrant or even Kneller fails to see a deeply eroticised love for the female figure. I would say the same of Sargent, what he loved (but I can't say if his love was ever physically expressed) is there in what he painted. Perhaps most powerfully in the water colours he did of off-duty WWI soldiers bathing and resting naked on a river bank. Those tender sketches are a powerful cri de cœur about the fragility of men against the monstrosity of war and it is no surprise that the man who painted those also painted the overwhelming 'Gassed', one of the most powerful images against war that ranks with 'All Quiet on the Western Front' as one of the finest post WWI indictments of war as to horrible to be allowed to happen again.
A beautiful collection of Sargent's finest works and and a fitting introduction to a great artist.
The essay about Sargent is perfectly good but, to be honest in my opinion what Sargent needs is not a biography by an academic, but a work of imaginative fiction like the novel 'The Master' by Colm Toibin about the equally the equally illusive Henry James. Lacking that we can only go back again and again to Sargent's work, which like that Henry James, tells us the most important things about him. I think it is no coincidence that the greatest 19th century American writer, Henry James, and the greatest American painter John Singer Sargent should have been both friends and admirers of each others work, but unknowable because there is so little real information about their inner and/or personal lives.
When you look at Sargent's many portraits of women you see the women that Henry James wrote about. These are not simply clothes horses or the vapid arm candy of powerful men. They are personalities of great force and perhaps it took the genius of men of no conventional power to see and represent it. I could start naming individual portraits that support my thesis but that would only tempt you to view the image on line. You must see them, or at least a decent reproduction in a book like this, to understand what I mean. So many of the finest of Sargent's portraits are in great public collections but that doesn't mean they are readily accessible. I may get to the Metropolitan in New York but I will never now enter the Carnagie Museum, Pittsburg ('Homer Saint-Gaudens and his Mother'); the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles ('Dr. Pozzi at Home'); or the Des Moines Art Centre, Des Moines ('Portraits of Edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron'). I doubt if I will even revisit Belenheim Palace, which is in the UK, to see the remarkable portrait of the 9th duke of Marlborough, his wife Consuello and their sons.
In the end I couldn't resist quoting examples but I stopped at four because once started it becomes ever harder to start.
The essay on Sargent is frank in its exploration of his sexuality but the truth is we can't know or at least not with the sense of suriety that a proper biography demands. But when I look at works such as his 'Nude Study of Thomas E. McKeller' I see an artist exploring and representing the beauty he loves. No one looks at the nude or partially clothed women of Rubens, Rembrant or even Kneller fails to see a deeply eroticised love for the female figure. I would say the same of Sargent, what he loved (but I can't say if his love was ever physically expressed) is there in what he painted. Perhaps most powerfully in the water colours he did of off-duty WWI soldiers bathing and resting naked on a river bank. Those tender sketches are a powerful cri de cœur about the fragility of men against the monstrosity of war and it is no surprise that the man who painted those also painted the overwhelming 'Gassed', one of the most powerful images against war that ranks with 'All Quiet on the Western Front' as one of the finest post WWI indictments of war as to horrible to be allowed to happen again.
A beautiful collection of Sargent's finest works and and a fitting introduction to a great artist.
June 3, 2018
This is an absolutely beautiful book. Even among the many beautiful Rizzoli books it stands out. Of course, the publisher is assisted by Sargent who produced the stunning content.
The layout, paper and type are perfect to convey the work. The text, what I read of it, was very good, but the gloss was too much for my eyes. (Most people don't read coffee table books anyway.) Perhaps Stephanie Herdrich can and will publish her commentary separately.
The very notable works: Madame X (two images of the painting and a photo of it in the studio with the artist at work), the Boit Sisters/Daughters, Jaleo, Isabella Gardiner and the Boston Public Library panels are all here.
There are other noted and less noted portraits, angelic children, 19th century style leisure scenes (0ver-dressed ladies on the the beach and at the park), and 19th century style travel (Venice, exotic costumes, bare landscapes and ornate buildings).
There are photos of the artist and his time.
This is a beautiful book. Definitely for collectors and those love Sargent's work.
The layout, paper and type are perfect to convey the work. The text, what I read of it, was very good, but the gloss was too much for my eyes. (Most people don't read coffee table books anyway.) Perhaps Stephanie Herdrich can and will publish her commentary separately.
The very notable works: Madame X (two images of the painting and a photo of it in the studio with the artist at work), the Boit Sisters/Daughters, Jaleo, Isabella Gardiner and the Boston Public Library panels are all here.
There are other noted and less noted portraits, angelic children, 19th century style leisure scenes (0ver-dressed ladies on the the beach and at the park), and 19th century style travel (Venice, exotic costumes, bare landscapes and ornate buildings).
There are photos of the artist and his time.
This is a beautiful book. Definitely for collectors and those love Sargent's work.
April 29, 2019
A decent set of reproductions with a history, which I mostly skimmed, of Sargent. I like his land and seascapes as well as his more impressionistic portraits. His mastery of brushwork and contrast is clearly shown in his watercolors. He made a good living painting realistic portraits of the wealthy, these I find less interesting.
I recommend looking at his works if you like impressionist painters.
I recommend looking at his works if you like impressionist painters.
March 15, 2020
I came across this book at the local public library and I have spent the past few weeks with it, enjoying it little by little.
I am rating this book 4 stars for the excellent reproductions of John Singer Sargent's artworks, as well as a chronicle of the artist's life... (I would rate Singer's art itself 5 stars.)
This collection of artwork -- in fabulous, large color plates -- spans the artist's prolific career, presents some of his most famous works, but importantly goes beyond the oil portraits (for which he is best known) to his likewise skillful watercolors. Here we see landscapes, sketches, and field studies and get a better sense of the scope of Sargent's work.
I spent time flipping between the biographical and historical text and the corresponding referenced images found in another section of pages. While the color reproductions are the highlight of this book (which I pored over again and again), the textual sections provide enough context to add some dimension to better understand of the life of the artist.
We learn -- directly or indirectly -- of his vast travels, connections with other artists, his relationships with patrons, and how his works were received and with what impact. The occasional historic photos of Sargent and his contemporaries were nice additions. The art commentary is not particularly in-depth, and some sections of Sargent's life get more attention than others, but it succeeds as a basic overview. Interesting anecdotes and quotations from letters from/to/about Sargent shed a little light on the inner workings of the man himself... But just a little.
As an artist myself, this is a book that inspires me to continue to pursue my joy of painting, and adds to my knowledge of a great painter dedicated to his craft, who made some bold decisions to be true to himself in his work.
I am rating this book 4 stars for the excellent reproductions of John Singer Sargent's artworks, as well as a chronicle of the artist's life... (I would rate Singer's art itself 5 stars.)
This collection of artwork -- in fabulous, large color plates -- spans the artist's prolific career, presents some of his most famous works, but importantly goes beyond the oil portraits (for which he is best known) to his likewise skillful watercolors. Here we see landscapes, sketches, and field studies and get a better sense of the scope of Sargent's work.
I spent time flipping between the biographical and historical text and the corresponding referenced images found in another section of pages. While the color reproductions are the highlight of this book (which I pored over again and again), the textual sections provide enough context to add some dimension to better understand of the life of the artist.
We learn -- directly or indirectly -- of his vast travels, connections with other artists, his relationships with patrons, and how his works were received and with what impact. The occasional historic photos of Sargent and his contemporaries were nice additions. The art commentary is not particularly in-depth, and some sections of Sargent's life get more attention than others, but it succeeds as a basic overview. Interesting anecdotes and quotations from letters from/to/about Sargent shed a little light on the inner workings of the man himself... But just a little.
As an artist myself, this is a book that inspires me to continue to pursue my joy of painting, and adds to my knowledge of a great painter dedicated to his craft, who made some bold decisions to be true to himself in his work.
June 21, 2019
Good overview of the artist's biography and art practice. Takeaways: draw everything, everywhere, all the time
November 4, 2020
Nice book with large, quality images of Sargent's work. Aside from the introduction at the beginning and a chronology at the back, the book has three sections: Sargent's early career, his professional success and his later work. Each section has several pages of text followed by dozens of paintings. The text focuses almost exclusively his work and the events/circumstances/relationships surrounding particular pieces (presented at the end of the text for each section).
I enjoyed learning more about Sargent's life and work and loved paging through all the images (which probably took as much time as the reading). Many of the paintings I've seen before, but there were some new ones as well which was very enjoyable.
I know a lot of art books are like this, but the only thing I didn't like about this was that you have to read about all the different paintings in that section before you get to see them all. I think it would be much more effective to be able to see each work as it's being written about. Of course, you can flip back and forth from the text to the paintings, but that just feels so tedious. I recently read another book about Sargent and there was a paragraph or two of text opposite each painting and I liked that format so much much more.
There was one painting, In the Generalife, [fig. 96], that seemed to have no accompanying text. I couldn't find anything about it, and the text goes in order when referencing the paintings so it's seems like an error of omission.
I enjoyed this coffee table book and, if I hadn't borrowed it from the library, I would enjoy flipping through it from time to time.There are many of his paintings that I could just gaze at forever. This book helped me learn more about the artist and presented even more of his work to appreciate!
I enjoyed learning more about Sargent's life and work and loved paging through all the images (which probably took as much time as the reading). Many of the paintings I've seen before, but there were some new ones as well which was very enjoyable.
I know a lot of art books are like this, but the only thing I didn't like about this was that you have to read about all the different paintings in that section before you get to see them all. I think it would be much more effective to be able to see each work as it's being written about. Of course, you can flip back and forth from the text to the paintings, but that just feels so tedious. I recently read another book about Sargent and there was a paragraph or two of text opposite each painting and I liked that format so much much more.
There was one painting, In the Generalife, [fig. 96], that seemed to have no accompanying text. I couldn't find anything about it, and the text goes in order when referencing the paintings so it's seems like an error of omission.
I enjoyed this coffee table book and, if I hadn't borrowed it from the library, I would enjoy flipping through it from time to time.There are many of his paintings that I could just gaze at forever. This book helped me learn more about the artist and presented even more of his work to appreciate!
January 27, 2019
Wonderful descriptions of Sargents paintings with the timeline of his life. Nothing spectacular besides the artwork and it avoids the possibilities of his character but it’s really a picture book in intention.
October 11, 2023
Incredible paintings adorn the pages of this book! The descriptions and full history behind the man, the paintings, and the subjects are very thorough and interesting. Well done Stephanie Herdrich! I can’t wait to see these paintings up close!
August 15, 2022
beautiful book! my one qualm is the private collection water color is very clearly a lower quality image than everything else lol
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January 19, 2025who said picture books don’t count
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews