John Singer Sargent: The Sensualist

Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism

John Singer Sargent: The Sensualist Details

From Booklist One of the most beloved American painters, Sargent (1856-1925) is lately undergoing critical reevaluation. Fairbrother concentrates on the quality in his work that, more than any other, appeals most powerfully to most viewers. Sargent was, museum official Mimi Gardner Gates says in the foreword, "a reserved person who made exuberant art." Essential to that exuberance is the keen attractiveness of the figures, male and female, clothed and nude, in his work. If they aren't all necessarily sexy, those that could be--robust adults--virtually always are, and few fail to evoke the desire to touch, even to caress, them. Fairbrother presents a ravishing selection of Sargent's paintings and graphic art as he explores the personal sources of the sensuousness of Sargent's work and the techniques he used to achieve it. An album of Sargent's male figure studies, printed on cream-colored stock, fetchingly concludes the book. Ray OlsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more Review "A truly new Sargent book…illuminating…Fairbrother has added immensely to our understanding of [Sargent]. -- Gary Michael, Bloomsbury Review"Offers compelling insights . . . . warmly recommended for its original and well-argued approach to this popular painter." -- Choice"Say hello to a truly new Sargent book. . . . We can also relish this book, with its ample and accurate illustrations." -- Gary Michael, Bloomsbury Review Read more From the Inside Flap The art of John Singer Sargent is extraordinarily sensual in its evocation of textures, atmosphere, body gestures, and light. In this beautiful book, Trevor Fairbrother argues that viewing the artist as a sensualist connects otherwise conflicting elements of his oeuvre and offers a new interpretation of his life and work. Fairbrother discusses the complex currents in Sargent's life, analyzes how these shaped his work, and shows how his skills as a draftsman formed the foundation for his rapid, broadly brushed painting style. The book is lavishly illustrated with numerous examples of Sargent's oils, watercolors, and sketches-in particular his portraits and studies of models and dancers- that amply demonstrate the sensual aspect of his art. Fairbrother describes how Sargent used incidental details to arouse visual shock and to delight his audience, pointing to such works as the portraits of London art dealer Asher Wertheimer and his family, as well as to the notorious Madame X, which created a furor at the 1884 Paris Salon. Fairbrother also gives special attention to a little-known series of expressive charcoal drawings of male nudes in Sargent's "Album of Figure Studies." All thirty-one sheets from this album are published together in color for the first time in this new study. In addition, Fairbrother addresses Venetian, Moroccan, and other exotic vignettes that show Sargent's fascination with dramatics of light, personalities, and locale.This book accompanies an exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum that runs from December 2000 to March 2001. Read more About the Author Trevor Fairbrother is the deputy director of art and Jon and Mary Shirley Curator of Modern Art at the Seattle Art Museum. Read more