Customer Reviews

Sargent and Italy

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

 

 

Ordered unseen and then attended exhibit. I was dissatisfied with color prints before exhibit and really disappointed afterwards. A graphic artist friend refused to buy the book after seing the color reproductions

I just returned with a friend from the Sargent and Italy exhibit , and I had purchased this book before going and thought the repoductions lacked vibrancy and did little for me, and after seeing the exhibit my thoughts were confirmed and I was even more disappointed , and a friend of mine who is a retired graphic artist and attended the exhibit would not purchase the book based on the reproductions

SARGENT IN ITALY does what many catalogues set out to accomplish but few achieve - document a magnificent exhibition while creating an art history book of great substance. The catalogue for the travelling exhibition SARGENT AND ITALY mirrors the elegance of the painter's touch, the intense infatuation and observation of the painter's favorite places (Venice in particular), and the intellectual atmosphere in which all of these works were created. Everyone knows of John Singer Sargent's finesse with the portraits of the wealthy and with figure painting in the studio and out on location, but few have the knowledge that Sargent found just as much life and senusality in the landscape as he did in the beautifully gowned patronesses of his career. Author Robertson is careful to include the treasurable quotes from the works of Henry James and other writers which flank many of the paintings in the exhibition and in the book. James and Sargent were close friends and colleagues, and that quality of shared observation helps make this show and this book the successes they are. The only minor flaw in the book is the quality of color reproduction which tends toward the muddy, dim side - hardly what this painter of light was all about. But the paintngs here are in other volumes where they are not as graced with the written word as they are here. A fine exhibition and a very fine catalogue/book.

for the content alone, this book is excellent. i lived a few blocks from the museum, so had the luxory to attend the exhibit during non peak hours maybe 7 or 8 times... wow. perhaps the most inspired I've ever been by another artist.

no, the reproductions are not perfect. but, i'd much rather have reproductions slightly on the green-side, than on the black side like most other books, where you cant *see* the content.

I am very impressed with the plates,unlike a number of other reviewers. I am an amatuer painter and have been using a magnifying glass to study Sargent's use of color and brushwork. The detail is incredible compared to many other books. OK, the color may not be as good as reality,but is it ever? Sometimes the saturation is overwrought in other books,and I find that even more disturbing.
Another book to see is "Sargent Abroad". Nice compilation. Also, please go to the best museums worldwide- You only live once,and seeing these paintings in reality is inspiring. Best: Musee D'Orsay-Paris (impressionism capital of the world), Natl Gallery-D.C., MOMA/Met/Whitney- N.Y.C., Chicago Art Inst. Enjoy!

This study hinges on the notion that while most famous as a portrait painter trained in the atelier of Carolus Duran, Sargent'swork in Italy was important to his development as an artist. This fine study covers his approach to the land and city scape,the Italian people,as well as the artists he met and was influenced by while there.It does a fine job of placing his Italian voyages in the context of his career.

The illustrations and reproductions are copious and do a good job although this is by no means an art album or "coffee table " book - thankfully!

This is a very clear book about Sargent's work in Italy but pp40-48 are bound upside down making access irritable. Such a shame, I wouldn't mind a new copy.