TINGVISHED DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN ARTISTS JOHN SINGER SARGENT JOHN SINGER SARGENT DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN ARTISTS ko) Fl IN SINGER pe G BN I Compiled by NATHANIEL POUSETTE-DART With an introduction by Lee Woodward Zeigler NEW YORK PRIDE RICK A, STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1924, by FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America JOHN SINGER SARGENT F John Singer Sargent it has been said that though born abroad, (in Florence, in 1856, the son of a practicing physician,) he displays all the charac- teristics of an American in his art. It might be as truth- fully said, perhaps, that of all painters he is the most characteristically American. Whether he owes to his Yankee forbears his keen objective vision, the variety and elasticity of his invention, and the expertness of his hand, natural gifts upon which he has built a technique of acknowledged mastery, is a question into which we need not enter. Certain it is that whatever he may have got from his teachers, his early study under Carolos Duran, and later the influence of Hals and Velasquez, that technique, as sound as it is facile, is all his own, and to those who have watched his progress through his long series of triumphs in the realm of portraiture, is the result of his own indus- try, and the development of his own strong individuality. In this day when tricks and fads prevail to such an extent as to have acquired respectability, he seems to rely upon a skill of hand that has developed as unconsciously as one’s handwriting. Brilliant as the handling is, it appears entirely unselfconscious, the servant of a desire, in his own phrase, to paint what he sees. And in the result we are made aware of the beauty of what he sees, while composition, arrangement of masses and emphasis upon line and form are apparently as unstudied as the brush work. Vii Apparently; for it cannot be doubted that he has taken much thought of these things. For Sargent is a supreme stylist, though the style is as that of a speaker to whom through long habit in the selection of words that convey just the right shade of meaning, as well as of images that nicely express his thought, it has become impossible to say anything other than beautifully and well. Nor is it a superficial kind of beauty. He is one who has gazed not unsympathetically upon the pageant of life, and as we study the long series of “counterfeit present- ments” of humanity, it is impossible not to realize that he has in most cases reacted very sensitively to his sitter’s personality, enchanting us now with the witchery of his rendering of some young girl’s fragile loveliness, as in the charming ““The Three Misses Hunter” and “The Ladies Alexander,” now sobering our mood with his sympathetic portrayal of some sedate and dignified matron, or the virile presentation of some fine type of vigorous manhood, as in his ““Major Higginson,” (one of his most profound characterizations,) the soldierly head of General Wood, or his portrait of John Hay. It is said that Vandyke had models with beautiful hands who sat for the hands of his portraits, and it is a well- known custom of some portrait painters in active practice to have models sit for the clothes. It is impossible to think of Sargent using either of these devices. His hands are as authentic as his faces. Study Homer Saint Gaudens’ hands, for instance, or those of “Mrs. Iselin,’ where the nicety of his observation is shown in the pressure of the fingers on the table’s edge, or the clasped hands of “Mrs. Edward Davis and Her Son.” And his clothes! No one but the original owner could wear them with such ease and naturalness, with the degree of conscious unconscious- Vill ness proper to good breeding. In fact, it might be said that Sargent is rather fond of clothes, so successful has he been where many fail, or at least accepts them without reserve, as part of his sitters’ individuality, and necessary to its interpretation, even rendering an ugly fashion faith- fully, and with a kind of grace. While one feels this interest in his fellow beings as an essential part of his art, he is not a psychologist in the sense of bending the outward semblance to some precon- ception of the sitter, or with some uncanny power of searching the hidden recesses of his soul, but simply by the ability to see what the untrained eye passes over, the unavoidable traces of that soul’s development in brow and nose, in cheek and chin and mouth and eye, seen in terms of anatomical structure as light reveals it and expressed by a high light here, a line or depression there. ‘This is true also of his landscapes and glimpses of old- world architecture, streets and court-yards. Nowhere is the effort to render a mood of nature, but always sense of light and space and sound construction. Done in holiday vein, as it seems they for the most part are, never- theless they are true portraits of place and _ incident, painted with the same objective vision, which, if it does not see below the surface, sees and preserves all that is recorded there. Here it is that the essential joyousness of the art, founded as it is on health and sanity, reveals itself. The plash of a fountain, the glow of the southern sun on some rococo cathedral front, the checkered play of light in some meadow nook, all bespeak the robust, joyous temperament, and even occasionally humor, as, for instance, in “His Studio.” But this is not all. The estimate of our painter as a 1x mere recorder of the obvious, however masterful, the clever portrayor of his kind, however sympathetic, needed revision, when, on the completion of the Boston Public Library, his Prophets were put in place. At one large stride the portrait painter took front rank in the peculiar and exacting field of mural decoration. Lacking nothing of his wonted strength of characterization, even to the point of dramatic power, the great canvas is painted with a suavity that he has never excelled in any portrait, and covered with an ease that could not be greater if its dimensions had been in inches instead of feet. And in spite of the compelling interest in the figures, it is first of all, and in the best sense, decorative. Since then one great mural painting has followed an- other. From what secret spring the inspiration for these great works has come, or why it lay dormant all the years, which it seems almost must be regarded as years of appren- ticeship, or how, with that spring bubbling beneath, he could yet hold his attention fixed upon the problem in hand, how have patience to give his time te making “like- nesses” of his fellow mortals, (indeed, it seems as though that patience has at length given out, for it is understood that he has announced that he will make no more,) is the master’s secret. We cannot know. It is idle to speculate, just as it is idle to speculate whether, if instead of his fortunate early surroundings and advantages and his happy contacts (which might have spoiled a lessei man), he had had to endure the poverty and limitations of, say, a Millet, his art would have had a deeper, pro- founder meaning, a greater scope, or, as has been the case with so many, have perished in the bud. We must take our Sargent as we find him, as something to be grateful for. LEE Woopwarp ZEIGLER. x The sixty-four paintings herein reproduced illustrate the varied characteristics of this artist's work. THe Misses HUNTER Courtesy William Heinemann, London uopuoT “uUuvimauiayy wmoyyiyy, Xsajsnoy) YOIWAINT NVILUNAA VW 2 Hgyoe a) arseeane PorTRAIT OF Miss ADA REHAN Owned by Mrs. G. M. Whitin Portrait OF Mrs. KATE A. Moore Courtesy M. Knoedler & Co. COUNTESS OF WARWICK AND SON Owned by the Worcester Art Museum THE Lapies ALEXANDRA, MARY AND THEO ACHESON Courtesy William Heinemann, London 07 | 49/poouy “We tsaqsnoy unjosvy ‘d “H %q paumo SYAHOLANS AHL THE FOUNTAIN Owned by the Art Institute of Chicago Courtesy M. Knoedler & Co. THE CHESS PLAYERS Courtesy Grand Central Art Galleries UnISn A WYyoUUuIIULD JY, XQ paUuMm_ ONIHSI, STYIN) OMI CARNATION, Lity, Lity, RoskE Courtesy William Heinemann, London PoRTRAIT OF A GIRL IN WHITE MUSLIN Miss Austruthery Thomson Cc. Courtesy M. Knoedler & Co. EGYPTIAN GIRL Courtesy William Heinemann, London CAPRI GIRL ll London a memann am He 1 i ourtesy W G UuopuoT “uuvitauilayy Unypry, sazanoy7 AIUPAD®) “ff “SAP oFIv{ HY "09 & 4a[paouy “W fsajsnoy YOIWALNT NVILANAA 0) @ 4aipaouy “PW tsazsnoy UDUNAADET “FT “AW ‘S4Y 0Q pauno aqavX 1uno0y) IH, ‘0D & Asalpoouy “PF Xsaqzanoy ‘DQ ‘qd ‘uowurysoyy “4p fo Ksayvy saad “woinquysuy uviuosyyuus SUMAVAM AH], ‘0D @ 4ajpaouy “pW Csazinoy TOUAL AHL NI Wvadls LAOAL, V Tur HERMIT he Metropolitan of Art Museum ik ened by 7 C O 0) & 4ajpaouy “Pp Csajanoyg saat : VauV‘) Ad OV] ‘OITINIA NVS ‘unosdvy NI Slvogq aauH L quUIDiDS sAaDWIS UYyor XQ paumga INTAALION NOOUY 09 @& 4ajpaouy "Ww saysnoy TOUA TT, AHL NI G1OdddaTHS NIVINOOW V LANDSCAPE WITH GOATS f Art, Washington, D. C. Courtesy M. Knoedler & Co. Freer Gallery o itution, Inst Smithsonian TYROLESE INTERIOR Owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art CHILDREN or E. D. Borr Courtesy William Heinemann, London 0) @ 4appaouy “Ww saqanoy ‘2 ‘qd ‘uopbumysoy q4p fo K4a]]D5 saad q “UO1INJIYSUT UNIuOsSYyZUUNS Kq Paumo VIDS907 FHL NI LSVANVAIG THE CONFESSION Owned by Dr. Desmond FitzGerald Courtesy M. Knocdler & Co. FUMIE D’AMBRE GRIS Courtesy M. Knoedler & Co. LUXEMBURG GARDENS AT TWILIGHT Owned by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts uappoH “s4py &q paungd wnasnyy ukjyoorg ay} &Q paunoc adIM SIFT HLIM ONIHOLEANS ‘NATTA Invd ‘ISsILyy IHL uojsog ‘sj4p auig fo wnasnpy ay AQ paumgd OIGALS SIH ‘0D & 4aspaouy “Py Ksajanoy IgJIWADG Saumve “Ay tq paumg NOLEWIS LV adVOSUNVW’T HEAD OF JOSEPH JEFFERSON Owned by John Singer Sargent CARMENCITA Courtesy William Heinemann, London 5 4 * .Y BS * ‘ Miss ELLEN Terry AS Lapy Macseru Courtesy William Heinemann, London ITALIAN WITH ROPE Courtesy William Heinemann, London BEDOUIN ARAB Courtesy William Heinemann, London GITANA Owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art JoHANNES WOLFF Courtesy William Heinemann, London EGYPTIAN WoMAN (Coin Necklace) Courtesy William Heinemann, London GEORGE HENSCHEL Courtesy William Heinemann, London GENERAL Sir [AN HAMILTON (Full Length) Courtesy Wilham Heinemann, London THE SuLPHUR MATCH Owned by Mr. Louis Curtts © Detroit Publishing Co. Portrait oF Mr. AND Mrs. FIELD Owned by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts q4py fO Unasnyy uvdziyodosjayy ayz fq paumo ONVILSVEAS FdaV Henry G. MARQUAND Owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art CovENTRY PATMORE Courtesy William Heinemann, London PoRTRAIT OF MME. ERRAZURIZ Courtesy Kirkman & Hall, New York SKETCH oF Mrs, Aucustus HEMENWAY Owned by Mrs. Hemenway Lavy HAMILTON Courtesy William Heinemann, London WILLIAM M. CHASE Owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art MADAME X PortTRAIT MME. GRAUTREAU Owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art PortraAir oF Mrs. CHARLES E. INCHES Owned by Mrs. Inches, Boston PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT Courtesy William Heinemann, London Lorp RIBBLESDALE Courtesy William Heinemann, London PorTRAIT OF EX-PRESIDENT CHARLES W, ELtor, FORMERLY OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY Owned by Harvard University PorTRAIT OF EDWARD RoBINsoN, Eso. Owned by Mr. Robinson Mrs. MARQUAND Courtesy William Heinemann, London THe Lapy WITH THE ROSE Owned by Mrs. Hadden ASHER WERTHEIMER Courtesy William Heinemann, London PorRTRAIT OF MAjor HIGGINSON Owned by Harvard University W. GRAHAM RoBERTSON Courtesy William Heinemann, London DUCHESS OF PORTLAND Courtesy William Heinemann, London 1° SARGENT, JOHN SrNGER, born, Florence, Italy, of American parents, January 12, 1856. Pupil of Academy of Fine Arts, Florence; Carolus Duran in Paris. MEMBER OF AssociaTE, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF Desicn, New York, 1891. NaTIONAL ACADEMY OF DesiGN, New York (Academicians) 1897. NATIONAL SocieTy OF Murat PAINTerRs, New York. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PORTRAIT PAINTERS, New York. CopLey Society oF Bosron—Honorary Member. AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS—Honorary Member. Paris SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARTISTS. SocieTY NATIONAL DES BEAUx-Arts, Paris. RoyAL ACADEMY, London. CENTURY ASSOCIATION, New York. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND LETTERS. PHILADELPHIA WATER CoLor CLuB—Honorary Member. BERLIN ACADEMY. INSTITUTE DE FRANCE, 1905. AWARDS b] Honorable mention, Paris, Salon, 1878. Second Class Medal, Paris Salon, 1881. Medal of Honor, Paris Exposition, 1889. Medal, Philadelphia Art Club, 1890. Medal, Columbia Exposition, Chicago, 1893. Temple Gold Medal, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1894. Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, France, 1889; Officer, 1897. Medal of Honor, Paris Exposition, 1900. Gold Medal, Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, 1gor. Converse Gold Medal, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1903. Large Gold Medal, Berlin, 1903. Grand Prize, St. Louis Exposition, 1904. Gold Medal of Honor, Liége Exposition, 1905. Gold Medal, Venice, 1907. Beck Gold Medal, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1909. Order of Merit, Germany, 1909. Gold Medal of Honor, National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1914. REPRESENTED IN ArT ASSOCIATION, INDIANAPOLIS. ArT INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO. Boston MUSEUM. Boston Pus ic LIBRARY. BROOKLYN INSTITUTE MUSEUM. BUFFALO FINE ARTS ACADEMY. CORCORAN GALLERY, WASHINGTON, D. C. FINE ARTS ACADEMY, BUFFALO. LUXEMBOURG MUSEUM, PArIs. METROPOLITAN MuseuM, NEw York. MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART, MINNEAPOLIS. NATIONAL GALLERY, WASHINGTON. PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMY OF THE FINE ARTS, PHILADELPHIA. TATE GALLERY, LONDON. UFFIZI GALLERY, FLORENCE. WorcesTER (Mass.) ArT MUSEUM. PUBLISHED MATTE American Magazine of Art, New York, 1917, vol. 8, pp. 129-136, 8°. The Sargent Decorations in the Boston Public Library. —Frederick W. Coburn. American Magazine of Art, Washington, D. C., 1921, vol. 12, pp. 401-407, illus., 8°. John Sargent’s Decorations in the Rotunda of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.—Jean N. Oliver. American Magazine of Art, Washington, 1923, vol. 14, pp. 3-6, illus., 8°. Sargent’s War Epic.—Frederick W. Coburn.. American Magazine of Art, Washington, 1924, vol. 15, pp. 169- 190, illus., ports., 4°. The Sargent Exhibition, Grand Cen- tral Art Galleries, New York.—Leila Mechlin. Architect, London, 1922, f.°, vol. 108, July 14, pp. 27-30. The Sargent Decorations in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.— C.H. Blackall’ Art and Decorations, New York, 1917, f.°, vol. 7, pp. 194-197. Sargent, Boston and Art.—Forbes Watson. Arts, New York, 1924, vol. 5, pp. 145-150, ports., 4°. John Singer Sargent.—Forbes Watson, : Augusta, Buenos Aires, 1919, f.°, vol. 3, pp. 276-284, illus. Sar- gent y su obra.—Ch. Meynell. The Baker & Taylor Company, New York, 1908, xii, 270 p., col. front., plates (1 col.), ports. (2 col.), 27%2 em. Modern Artists.—Christian Brinton. Century Magazine, vol. 66, pp. 129-134. Sargent’s “Redemp- tion” in the Boston Public Library.—Sylvester Baxter. Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, 1923, xv p., 1 1., 417 [1] p., front., plates, ports. Famous Painters of America.—Joseph Walker Spadden. Harper & Brothers, 1893, 1916, 4 pl., 175 p., front., plates, ports., 15% em. Sargent.—Henry James. William Heinemann, London, 1903, 12 1., 62 pl., sq. f. The Work of John S. Sargent, R. A. With an introductory note by Mrs. Meynell.—John Singer Sargent. International Studio, New York, 1900, vol. 10, pp. 3-21, 107-110, 4°. The Art of J. S. Sargent, R. A—A. L. Baldry. T. C. & E. C. Jack, London; F. A. Stokes Company, New York, 1909, Vii, 9-80 p., illus., 2 col. pl., 6 col. port. (incl. front.), Masterpieces in Color. Sargent—T. Martin Wood. Illus- trated with eight reproductions in color. lohns Hopkins Alumni Magazine, Baltimore, 1913, vol. 11, pp. 23-26, 8°. The Doctors [Sargent’s Portrait-group of Drs. Halstead, Kelly, Osler and Welch]. ' Kunst f. Alle, Miinchen, 1907, Jahrg. 23, pp. 25-33. John Singer Sargent.—Arthur Layard. Kunst u. Kunsthandwerk, Wein, 1905, Jahrg. 8, pp. 97-107. John Sargent und Seine Kunst.—P. G. Konody. L’art et les artistes, Paris, 1906-07, vol. 4, pp. 369-79. John Sargent.—Camille Marcel. Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1900, 172 p., 16°. Twelve Great Artists—William Howe Downess. Magazine of Art, London, 1899, pp. 112-119, 4°. John S. Sar- gent as a Portrait Painter—Marion Hepworth Dixon. The Merrymount Press, Boston, 1899, 2 pl., 17 p., 8°. Cata- logue of Paintings and Sketches by John S. Sargent at Boston. Museum of Fine Arts, Bulletin, Boston, 1921, vol. 19, pp. 66-71, illus. Decorations of the Dome of the Rotunda by John Singer Sargent. Revue de l’art, Paris, 1923, f.°, vol. 44, pp. 142-155, illus. Une exposition d’art américain.—André Debarrois. Scribner's Magazine, New York, 1903, vol. 34, pp. 515-532. John S. Sargent.—Royal Cortissoz. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1913, viii, 445 p., 8°. Art and Common Sense.—Royal Cortissoz. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1919, x, 270 p., 24 pl., 8°. American Painting and Its Traditions—John Charles Van Dyke. W orld’s Work, London, 1903, vol. 3, pp. 25-39, fully illustrated. John S. Sargent.—Mrs. Alice Meynell. World’s Work, vol. 7, pp. 4099-4116. John S. Sargent, the Greatest Contemporary Portrait Painter.—Charles H. Cofhn.