John Singer Sargent (Hardcover)

by Elaine Kilmurray (Editor), Richard Ormond (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), the famous portrait painter, spent his childhood traveling around Europe with his American expatriate parents. After studying at Paris's Ecole des Beaux Arts, he launched his career at the Paris Salon. But scandal ensued after he exhibited his most famous portrait, Madame X. The daring (at the time) picture of a beautiful socialite in a provocative dress, her shoulder strap slipping off, created such a stir among its viewers that Sargent eventually repainted the strap into a more proper position and relocated to London. There he continued portrait painting. Creating lush images full of light and incredible brushwork, "[He] breathed new life into the tradition of grand manner portraiture. Like his great predecessors he made his sitters look nobler, more beautiful than they were in reality.... What Sargent brought to the tradition that was new and different was his ability to infuse into his portraits a sense of the immediate and the actual, as if what we see before us is life unfolding as it really is." In 1907, the portraitist abandoned the craft and focused primarily on mural commissions, like the one for the Boston Public Library, and landscape painting.

This book, the catalog to a traveling exhibition that hits the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, among other venues, includes three essays on Sargent's life and work and detailed background information for all the paintings shown. It is a manageable 285 pages, with 171 color and 85 black-and-white images. --Jennifer Cohen

Review
Admirers of Sargent will welcome John Singer Sargent and read it with the same relish and thoroughness that went into its writing. It is an intellectual and visual feast. -- Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; 1ST edition (October 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069100434X
• ISBN-13: 978-0691004341
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #414,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best Sargent book so far, November 14, 2000

By	Robert T. L. Chang "Lunatique" (Sunnyvale, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have no idea what the others are complaining about. I compared this Sargent book side by side at a book store with other published Sargent books, and this one had the best reproduction by far. It is even better than "John Singer Sargent : The Early Portraits (The Complete Paintings , Vol 1)", which is by the same author and editor as this one. Make no mistake, this is the best book so far I've seen on Sargent. I'm not concerned about the writing since I'm a fan of Sargent because I'm a painter, and he's one of the best there ever was. Sure I'd read the text, but it's not nearly as important as the reproductions of his paintings. It's all about the paintings, and he is an artist. That's all that matters.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Poor Reproductions of Some Beautiful Works, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

Having seen the exhibit behind the book, I looked forward to reviewing the many gorgeous paintings I saw. Although the text in the book is fine, the pictures are alas not. Many are in black and white, but the real disappointment came in the color reproductions where things were really second rate, looking more suitable for postcards than a fine art book. I returned my copy to Amazon, and I would suggest you save your money unless there is no other way you will see some of his work. Very disappointing!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying book, May 13, 2000

By	Ward J. Lamb (slate hill, new york United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I saw this exhibit at the Tate Gallery, London. The exhibit was terrific, though something seemed lacking in the over all presentation. Sargent is one overlooked watercolorist. He is one of the greatest, on an equal or superior platform to Homer. His Valasquez like eye made him a superior artist, though he seemed to get trapped in his facile technique in society portraits. Sargent is an amazing artist. One whose personal power has always been challenged by those that believe technique is secondary. Tell that to someone who appreciates his lively beautiful brushwork and intelligent landscapes. They won't buy it! The reproductions are not second rate as stated previously. They are rather good!The essays are good reading too.