Customer Reviews

The Age of Elegance (Phaidon Miniature Editions)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a sweet little book; very inexpensive, but it has detailed color portraits by Sargent. The quotations by his contemporary and friend, Henry James, complete the feast of art found in this book.

OK, so I plagiarize the common saying, "A 'Rembrandt' is not always a Rembrandt." But that is not the point. My points actually are the following:

1) This is a very small book (pocket edition) to present lifesize paintings (for the most part, anyway) done by Sargent. Therefore, some limitations are inevitable.

2) This book simply presents 100 paintings (including some drawings) by Sargent with occasionally some comments by different patrons. The book does NOT discuss the technical or historical aspect of the paintings, except for a biography of 8 pages in the back of the book.

3) If you are, like myself, hoping to have a little book of paintings (at an affordable price) by Sargent to quickly look up the way colors were used in his portraits, then this book serves the purpose. After all, "A 'Sargent' is always a Sargent.", no matter how small is it presented. However, if you are looking for more than a collection of small paintings, other books on Sargent of larger volume may be called for.

One of the magical aspects of the portraits of John Singer Sargent is his cholce of scale. At times his Grande Dames were painted larger than life, his bon vivants narrow and elongated like the models themselves. Here all is compressed into home photograph size, as though these were taken during a visit to an exhibition in a crusty museum. But the joy of having so many of Sargent's elegant people greatfully reproduced in rich color and on fine quality paper makes the size more tolerable. And it is fitting to have the "commentary" be conversational Henry James parcels, since they were very close friends. This is not the definitive Sargent book, but until the price of the larger volumes is more accessible, this little book is a joy.

This little book of Sargent paintings is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand, but in this case, size does not matter. I was drawn by this book's cover at the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco in late 2000, and was urged to by it by my art craving mind. I have to admit that it did have a few works of his I had not seen, so it is valuable in the sense to some die-hard fans (which I pretty much am of his). Like in the other reviews, this book is printed on great quality paper, has a dust jacket, and has a mini- biography with some different views on his life. It also has a detailed list in the back describing each painting shown. I believe it doesn't have a B/w photo, but I am not certain. Nevertheless, it is worth the small price. And, if you're a big fan of his, it never hurts to have a minature Sargent book to carry along :)

This book takes you into the rarefied world of elegance that typified the Gilded Age (1880-1920). Sargent has done an excellent job in portraying the lives of affluent individuals, especially the women. The men are portrayed as strong and stable. Women are painted as ultrafeminine reflections of their father's or husband's wealth and power. The Gilded Age represent the possiblities of upward mobility as exemplified by Andrew Carnegies, the Guggenheims, the Rockefellers, and the Browns(as in Molly Brown, whose husband struck rich out west in the 1890's). I recommend those who are interested in the artworks of the Gilded Age to read this book, it's interesting.

The Age of Elegance : The Paintings of John Singer Sargent by John Singer Sargent is another very affordable book...

(Note: this is virtually a picture book.)

Sargent was well-known for his portraiture, and this book contains his elegant, famous oil paintings (including the one of Madame X). Zoom-ins/ups of paintings are overleaf (for nearly every painting). Quotes taken from numerous novels and papers by Sargent's very close friend Henry James, accompany the art works.

My only "complaint" is that a lot of these paintings are the more familiar ones. In other words, if you are a "fan" or own one of those expensive art books, more than likely you have seen the paintings which are showcased in this book. Also, a few of James' quotes get a bit long (but the rest fit the mood;)...

Other than that, there isn't really *anything* to lose! The cover has the title stamped in gold foil, and the paper is thick and glossy!

So... What are you waiting for?