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Library Journal
Independent art historian Ormond, a great-nephew of the American painter John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), and Adelson (owner, Adelson Galleries, New York) have a prestigious list of works to their credit, including the Sargent catalogue raisonné. Here, they discuss Sargent's scenery and motifs, his stylistic evolution, his artistic friendship with writer Henry James, and the contemporary cultural milieu, allowing readers to see Sargent's Venice through the artist's own eyes. Sargent was encouraged by his teacher, Carolus-Duran, to reject the polished surfaces espoused by the Parisian École des Beaux-Arts and instead to capture everyday life rapidly but accurately. However, knowing he would not get such core skills as perspective and anatomy from Carolus-Duran, Sargent enrolled in the école. This duality in formal education, Sargent's itinerant childhood, and his romantic temperament enabled him to capture the essence of the light, water, air, and architecture that was Venice. The readable text is supplemented by a bibliography, endnotes, an index, a list of brief biographies of personalities who touched Sargent's life, and 200 black-and-white and color illustrations. As a complement to the catalogue raisonné, it is recommended for special and academic libraries as well as for larger public libraries.—Nancy Mactague
Overview
John Singer Sargent returned to Venice many times during his life, endlessly fascinated with this enchanting city. In paintings filled with vivid colors and dazzling light, he sought to capture its vitality and unique ambience, often working while afloat in a gondola. This gorgeously illustrated book presents nearly seventy of Sargent’s oil and watercolor paintings of Venice, many of them famous but others only rarely seen. The book also contains fascinating new photographs of ...