Some impressions from the John Singer Sargent exhibition for the weekend.
Once sittings for a portrait had begun, Sargent would not necessarily paint his subjects as they chose to present themselves. He would take the lead, recommending or vetoing choices of dress, selecting accessories and pinning or draping fabric. The selection and manipulation of clothing was most often the way Sargent controlled the compositions he wished to paint. He did not take kindly to interference, and he resisted most requests for changes unless he felt himself that improvements were needed.
‘Sargent and Fashion’ on view at Tate Britain until 7 July 2024.
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Managed to escape my desk and spend a lovely afternoon visiting the Sargent exhibition at Tate Britain. He certainly understood how to harness the power of fashion in portraiture and my goodness, how well he painted it - with spectacular effect.
Featured here:
Lady Agnew of Lochnaw (Gertrude Vernon)
1892
Oil on canvas
Sargent visited Lady Agnew in her London home to discuss her portrait and consider several different gowns, finally choosing one of white silk with sheer organza sleeves and lavender trimmings. He painted quickly (the work was completed in just six sittings), using long diagonal strokes to render her purple sash and the lights and shadows that define the cloth on her lap. This portrait was a great success when exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1893, and cemented Sargent’s position in Britain. Soon after he was elected as a member of the Royal Academy.
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It’s satisfying to see the National Gallery’s placing of Angelica Kauffman’s self-portrait given equal importance alongside two other famous founding members of the Royal Academy of Arts, Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough.
Johan Zoffany’s painting in the current Angelica Kauffman exhibition at the RA depicting the majority of the founding members together in a life drawing class, highlights how difficult it must have been for female artists to make their way in a male dominated world. A woman attending a life drawing class would have been out of the question and deemed improper. Angelica and the only other female founding member, Mary Moser, are present in the painting but only as portraits in the background on the wall behind the men.
After Moser’s death in 1819, it was over a century before a female academician was elected - Annie Swynerton, followed by Laura Knight a decade later, who became the first full academician.
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A little Liotard for the weekend.
Liotard had no interest in conforming to expectations about what an 18th century artist should look like or how they should work. His technical virtuosity and enthusiasm for different media were boundless. He produced oil paintings, chalk drawings, engravings, miniatures and even painted on glass, but during his lifetime and still today he is most celebrated for the astonishing virtuosity and freshness of his paintings in pastel.
Jean-Etienne Liotard (1702-1789). On view until 3 March, 2024 at London’s National Gallery.
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17th century Dutch artist Frans Hals (1582-1666) was incredibly skilled at capturing the character of his sitters and the dynamics in relationships between couples and families. The Frans Hals exhibition now in its final days at London’s National Gallery is a fitting tribute to his remarkable talents.
Featured here in order:
1. Isaac Abrahams Massa and Beatrix van der Laen, circa 1622
2. Young man holding a skull, circa 1626
3. A young woman, circa 1658
4. Jaspar Schade, circa 1645
5. Portrait of a gentleman, circa 1650
6.A family group, circa 1648
7. Isaac Abrahams Massa and Beatrix van der Laen
circa 1622
8. Portrait of Francois Wouters and wife, Susanna Bailli
circa 1645
