Customer Reviews

John Singer Sargent: The Later Portraits

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wasn't sure that volume 3 could live up to the beauty of the first two volumes, but it certainly does, even surpassing them in some ways. Sargent has honed his skills as a portrait painter to such an extent that, in many of these paintings, all that's left is the essence of what he wanted to convey about a sitter. Like any artist, he has his ups and downs, but when he's good it's absolutely breathtaking. These three volumes are all magnificent, among my favorite art books I've ever seen. The vast majority are in color, and the writing about each painting is always interesting, including references from critics, diaries, and even photos of him painting. On page 102 is the wonderful portrait of Mrs. Fiske Warren and her Daughter, Rachel. Next to it are photos of Sargent painting them! Wow!
This is a book, like the first two volumes, that you can return to over and over again. It always has a new detail or personality to interest you. Also, if you like Sargent, get the book "Sargent Abroad" which concentrates more on his outdoor work. I'm not sure any other artist ever had such a natural talent, to be able to paint so many different subjects so well.

Length:: 0:21 Mins

I've recently bought the first two volumes and won't be buying the 3rd. Like one reviewer Heather before me said, most of the pictures are only a quarter to half the size of the page with text next to them. There are some full page color plates, just not enough in comparison to the smaller ones. The binding of the book is not bad at all, it seems sturdy. Again, my only complaint is not enough full page color plates.

Here's a webcam video I've created on the first volume in which the layouts of the color plates are the same for all 3 volumes.

If art alone can teach the next generation of artists by the virtue of it's beauty and technical precision, Mr. Sargent's work is a master course all students must enroll. He divides the canvas into two distinct color families of light and dark and assigns them both temperatures he adheres to throughout the painting process. His colors fall within five distinct values which in it's simplicity empowers his brush with emotional impact second to none. Each reproduction whether it is in color or tone speaks to a new generation the great truths once understood by art teachers and taught in schools across America. Now, only a few understand these principles and even less master them to the level of Mr. Sargent, Anders Zorn and Franz Hal.

This book is worth it's weight in gold as a resource to teach and inspire not only for students but professionals alike. Let Mr. Sargent bring you back to a day when art was produced by a master's hand and had the precision of technical achievement alongside artistic beauty. Let each brush stroke teach you about modeling form and creating emotional impact that will inspire you to new heights and astonish the next generation.

This is the third in an amazing series of books. The photos of this mans work are just beautiful. All three of these books in this series are consistantly good. I am a huge fan of Singer Sargents work, but even if you don't know much about him you won't be able to help but admire this singular talent. John Singer Sargent was an American treasure and I am so grateful that someone created such a wonderful tribute to his work, I highly recommend all three, they are each special in their own singular way, much like the man himself.

true masters in Western Art history. His use of color in his paintings is unrivalled. I like how he treats his subjects in his paintings. He truly showed their humanity and beauty in a realistic light unlike most painters of his time who employ flattery in their paintings to please their patrons.

This book is well worth a look and a pleasure to behold!

first, i'm a painter myself, and a huge fan of sargent's work. in this book, however, the image quality isn't bad, and the color is close to accurate, but some of the luminoscity in color and contrast are lost. most of the images appear washed out and dull. the portrait on page 577 is a HORRIBLE photo. the art institute of chicago owns this painting, and having been a student there, i've spent hours studying this piece in person. the color os horribly grayed out in the photo, a lot of detail is lost, the painting appears to be a mess of paint rather than precisely carved out shapes (which is what made sargent so excellent). this is a landscape, but it doesn't seem to be painted outside in the photo! this is one of sargents greatest pieces, in my opinion, and the photo of the painting was completely butchered.

most other photos aren't this bad, but you must keep in mind that most of the paintings in this book are printed only half or a quarter of the page. everything just appears so shrunken, you can't observe the detail.

that being said, if you are a huge fan of sargent, an art historian, or for any other reason you want at your hand every single piece he's done, this would be a necessary addition. it's not a complete waste of money, i just don't think it is worth more than $25 or so. though, it IS the only book like this published thus far.

also, upon my first flip-through of the book, once i got to the last page, i realized my last page tore from the cover & the binding is exposed. i ordered this book brand new from amazon, so even though i can easily re-glue the binding together, it makes me feel the quality of this book is actually very low and cheap.

unfortunately, i spent an additional $100 on the other two volumes to this collection, and they have yet to arrive. hopefully they won't be as disappointing as this one.

I can't say enough about this entire series of books. It is the most comprehensive Sargent collection in the world, and a must for any Sargent fans. Every single volume is filled to the brim with his work and details about his life and his artwork. It also does not skimp on quality--the whole thing is printed in color (which was a relief, because I can't stand b/w printing of colored material--it's a crime in my opinion).

Sargent is not a member of that very highest rank of portraitists represented by Rembrandt, but he is firmly situated in the second rank below that celestial group. In his own time, before almost entirely ceasing to make formal portraits, he was in the first rank. To my mind, while volumes 4-7 of his catalogue raisonne are a reference to many fine paintings and works on paper, they do not come close to his achievement in the portrait (as covered in volumes 1-3). It is my own view that while he, himself, got sick nigh on to death of doing portraits, it was only in these that he can be called a Master.
I have decided not to review the first two volumes to avoid repetition. They, too, are masterful, allowing me to spend many hours poring over them with eye and magnifying glass, feeling grateful for every moment. This is true, as well, of these, the works of his maturity (in doing portraits). While I will remember little of the detailed commentary accompanying each figure, his or her background, family, place in society, as well as influences on the painter and some technical details on occasion, I appreciated and read each item of text as I studied each picture. The illustrations are quite fine, to be better they would have to be the size of the often very large paintings, an impossibility for any volume. The senior author, a descendant of Sargent's is a fine senior scholar, his junior colleague shows both scholarship and the ability to put things concisely and clearly. As works of art, I am delighted just to see the books on my shelves.
With the exception of friends, acquaintances and family, these are, for the most part, commissioned portraits; thus, they comprise a gallery of the aristocrats, the wealthy, the accomplished (mostly) in French, British, and American Society and lack the picture of the people of these nations which already was being called for on both sides of the Atlantic. Of course, he is to be prized for what he was, not damned for not being or trying to be everything to everybody.
These three volumes of portraits are recommended for any decent art library.

This volume came in perfect shape and is truly a treasure of John Singer Sargent's portraits. I am fully satisfied with the book and the speed at which it came.

As a painter, I love these sargent books and I would like to offer an alternative to the usual art book. Due to the large amount of print that goes into these books, the size of the pictures is often diminished. Why not publish a portfolio of the art work alone and a companion volume of the print portion. I really don't need to know that I'm looking at a model in a blue dress wearing pearls; I can see that. What I want is to study the image in detail which is hard to do when you reduce a painting that was originally, say, 5'x3' into a 1"x2" image on the page. This is already being done by one company that puts out 19th century art on cd. I can now print out any painting on the cd for a total price of $20 plus ink and paper. 21st century solutions for 21st century people!