John Singer Sargent, Complete Paintings, Volume 1: The Early Portraits (Vol 1) [Hardcover]

Richard Ormond (Author), Elaine Kilmurray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 20, 1998

This magnificent book is the first volume of the definitive catalogue raisonne of the works in oil, watercolor, and pastel of the beloved painter John Singer Sargent. This volume catalogues portraits by Sargent from 1874, when he began his training in Paris, and covers pictures painted while he was establishing his reputation in Paris, during his early years in England, and on his first professional visit to America in 1887. Volume two will record portraits painted from 1890 until the end of the artist's career. The entire catalogue raisonne will bring together nearly 600 portraits, some 1,600 subject pictures and landscapes, and three mural cycles.

The early portraits in this book range from private images of Sargent's family and friends to studies of writers and fellow artists and formal portraits of Parisian celebrities and patrons in France, England, and America. These include his most controversial work, Madame Gautreau, and studies of some of the major artistic figures of the day: Claude Monet, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Ellen Terry in her role as Lady Macbeth.

Each work is catalogued in depth, with a biographical account of the sitter, a discussion of the contemporary context of the painting, and a detailed provenance, exhibition history, and bibliography. Almost all of the paintings are shown, mostly in color, including some that have never been reproduced before. The fruit of some sixteen years of research, this valuable reference provides a broad and comprehensive view of Sargent's art.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press/Paul Mellon Centre (April 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300072457
• ISBN-13: 978-0300072457
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 10.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Portraits

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Amazing........, June 5, 2001

By 

J. M. Williams (NORTH AUGUSTA, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John Singer Sargent, Complete Paintings, Volume 1: The Early Portraits (Vol 1) (Hardcover)

This book is for Sargent lovers. His incredible talent oozes in these pages. I can't wait for Vol 2 of this beautiful production of Yale University Press. I got me a magnifying glass and have spent hours looking at the unbelievably grand flesh tones that Sargent commanded. You'll love reading the background data of these portrait commissions during Sargent's career. I would give it six stars if I could. See it to believe it.....if I could only paint like he did or anything barely close. One of my best of collection. Hurry up Yale and give us Vol 2.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellect reproductions!, July 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: John Singer Sargent, Complete Paintings, Volume 1: The Early Portraits (Vol 1) (Hardcover)

This was the finest quality art book we have seen in a long time! The reproductions are excellent. It is obvious that much care and consideration went into the production of this book. The 'stories' that caption each image are in depth and enthralling, pulling information from obscure resources and contemporary letters and diary entries. The sitters' personalities are really brought to life.

We would have been willing to pay much more for a book of this quality and scope. This has been our best art purchase in years! We are eagerly awaiting the publication of volume two.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sargent's sitters leap into life, August 22, 1998

By 

Howard Gradet (Reisterstown, MD United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: John Singer Sargent, Complete Paintings, Volume 1: The Early Portraits (Vol 1) (Hardcover)

For the most part, this is a magnificent compilation of all the portraits Sargent did until 1889. The faces leap off the page, sometimes "more alive than the sitters themselves." The short essays about the creation of each work, the life of the sitter, etc., are interesting and though repetitive (there is a similarity among his subjects--rich, pampered, often without much upstairs) never get dull. My only complaint with the book is the way the side-bar notes are handled. Often a work not detailed in this book (the first of a four-volume catalogue raisonnee) is referred to for comparison, but is not illustrated, or is shown in a postage-stamp size picture (example: a lot is told about the models for Carnation Lily Lily Rose, but the repro itself is about 1" square, and impossible to see in detail. But for the most part this is a gorgeous book, indispensible for those of us still caught up in Sargentolatry, and just whets the appetite for the next volume.