March 10 - The Watercolors of John Singer Sargent
A presentation by Jim Salchak, past president of the National Watercolor Society and Watercolor West
Angela Alvarenga
Jim Salchak gave a wonderful in depth presentation on John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) at our March meeting. Over the years, Jim has studied Sargent’s paintings and read many books on the prestigious artist. He also maintains a vast collection of slides of Sargent’s work.
By age 10, Sargent knew he wanted to be an artist and at 18 his parents moved to Paris where he studied under Carolus-Duran. His early submissions to the Paris Salon brought him international attention and in the 1900’s Sargent was the most highly sought out portrait painter of the English-speaking world. Due to the controversial painting, “Portrait of Madame X,” Sargent left Paris to move to England and paint plein air landscapes. By 1907 he had stopped painting portraits all together.
Sargent worked in oils and watercolor. His remarkable ability to capture light is to say, “to live with Sargent's water-colors is to live with sunshine captured and held.” He referred his watercolor plein air paintings to “capturing a snapshot” or “making the best of an emergency.” Sargent would sometimes use opaque whites for his highlights. His favorite palette was burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. He loved to paint the effects of white on white. In his Siesta series you can see how he keeps the material of the clothing smooth while contrasting the background with texture and shadows. Lastly, he often used a wax resistant technique to add texture and reveal under lining colors.
Sargent died in 1925 and did not receive his well-deserved recognition because he was mainly considered a society painter. However, by the 1950’s Sargent’s reputation increased and his work can be seen in exhibitions in major museums across the world.
Here is a brief article Jim wrote for Watercolor Online about Sargent's life and career.
By age 10, Sargent knew he wanted to be an artist and at 18 his parents moved to Paris where he studied under Carolus-Duran. His early submissions to the Paris Salon brought him international attention and in the 1900’s Sargent was the most highly sought out portrait painter of the English-speaking world. Due to the controversial painting, “Portrait of Madame X,” Sargent left Paris to move to England and paint plein air landscapes. By 1907 he had stopped painting portraits all together.
Sargent worked in oils and watercolor. His remarkable ability to capture light is to say, “to live with Sargent's water-colors is to live with sunshine captured and held.” He referred his watercolor plein air paintings to “capturing a snapshot” or “making the best of an emergency.” Sargent would sometimes use opaque whites for his highlights. His favorite palette was burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. He loved to paint the effects of white on white. In his Siesta series you can see how he keeps the material of the clothing smooth while contrasting the background with texture and shadows. Lastly, he often used a wax resistant technique to add texture and reveal under lining colors.
Sargent died in 1925 and did not receive his well-deserved recognition because he was mainly considered a society painter. However, by the 1950’s Sargent’s reputation increased and his work can be seen in exhibitions in major museums across the world.
Here is a brief article Jim wrote for Watercolor Online about Sargent's life and career.