John Singer Sargent and the Gilded Age
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- Опубліковано 8 сер 2024
- John Singer Sargent was somewhat of a rarity, having achieved recognition and success as an artist during his lifetime. He was controversial as an artist- known for realism in a period when experimental forms like impressionism and cubism were in vogue. He was an intriguing person, intensely private, and almost a man without country. But his prodigious body of work is, above all, a stunning record of the time in which he lived.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #Art
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@@misterhat5823 then you don’t know much about Bernie Madoff. Art is a real investment. You can choose to invest, or not to invest. But this is no scam or Ponzi scheme.
@@misterhat5823 it is more akin to gold, certainly not bitcoin as art is a tangible asset. If you don’t trust investment, that is fine. But you are misrepresenting this investment.
I am merely advertising a product, letting anyone decide whether they want to buy.
But I am grateful to sponsors for supporting my channel, and I don’t take sponsorships from scammers. Masterworks is a legitimate investment tool, as a simple Google search would demonstrate.
Art in any form is a risky investment. But I'd say Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are totally off the charts. Like Warren Buffett, I won't touch 'em for any amount of money.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Don't feed the troll By the way Wilson was racist scum even for his day and age.
I'm in. Just let me know when it's my turn to hang it on my wall. This looks like a huge scam. Sorry, I'm keeping my money in the stock market.
You neglected to mention the fact the the painting “Gassed” is almost 8 feet high and 20 feet long, rendering the figures close to life-sized. The emotional impact of encountering this painting is indescribable.
Because of the chloride gas used in WW1 and the horrendous damage done to the soldiers, you rarely see bleach as a cleaning substance in Europe and especially Germany to this very day. North Americans, who treat bleach ( chloride) so casually, did not witness this destruction and therefore do not make the association.
I cried when I first saw it at the age of 12. I still cry in my 60's.
I saw the painting at the National Gallery, DC, must have been in the 1980's. It was so big and so intimidating, war consequences wise, that I stayed looking at it way to long. The most impressive painting from my visit.
@@l.m.2404 When you said, "I cried when I first saw it at the age of 12." What was it that you saw? If you're in your 60s then it couldn't be WW1.
Is the yellow in the painting a depiction of what the gas would do or the way the sky probably looked? I was going to ask this question anyway and since you sound knowledgeable on the subject I placed it here.
He saw the painting at the age of 12.
@@1ACL ah, thx
The artwork Gassed brought tears to my eyes as I recently came to know that my great grand uncle won a silver star after being blinded by gas yet remaining on station passing shells to his men and egging them on at their field piece during a battle in the Great War. I’d never had it brought home to me so bluntly just how many suffered this fate.
Anonia, have you seen the movie "They Shall Not Grow Old" by Peter Jackson? It is movie snippets of the First World War, to which Jackson added voices and sound. You know they were added, before you see it, but because he employed very good lip readers, and he found speakers who could emulate the dialiects of the particular areas from which those troops came, it is easy to forget that is isn't those men speaking!
Your great grand uncle did not win the Silver Star; he earned it.
@@Paladin1873 Thank you you’re right I am gratefully corrected❤️
I'm a classicly trained Illustrator and large scale muralist; the fact that THG is drawn to Sargent is a testament to his intellect and good taste. JSS was an artist's artist- his multi-faceted talent and work ethic are goalposts for a great many of us.His paintings at the DIA are usually my first stop in the museum.
I too am happy that THG did a 'tribute' to Sargent. Earlier today I was on Amazon drooling over books of his paintings and portraiture. What a thing to own all 3, or even just one!
Hear Hear !!
For a topic that is "Not your thing," this was a very educational, and at times very personal and insightful view into an exceptional talent. I feel like I can tell when a historian is speaking from impersonal data sourcing, versus when they are emotionally connected with the material. So many of your pieces really do have that emotional weight to the story, I feel you have deep empathy with people, places and things that are long past. I really appreciate that in your commentaries. Many thanks.
I totally agree with your conclusion. I don’t recall the first time I saw a work of art by Sargent. I do recall thinking that he was an artist of substance & his painting was very evocative. Decades later my respect & admiration has continued and my appreciation has only deepened.
Thank you for the lesson.
You are Baroque when you are all out of Monet.
😂
My favorite American artist, always loved his work...enjoyable hearing a bit more of his real life here. Thank you...
As an Artist of sorts myself one of the things I love about Singer Sargent is that the real “Art” in his work is as much in the subject as it is in technique. He could have painted in any style, he was fully capable, but he saw Art as what he saw before him and his paintings were just representing this. Or so I like to think anyway, this is simply what his work says to me. Great video, your channel is a work of historical art itself!
What I find fascinating was his skill with both oils and watercolors. Watercolor is a very unforgiving medium. Once it's down, it doesn't come off.
@@tygrkhat4087 I disagree regarding watercolor. Use some clear water on the area to be removed and bloat it back up with a fine grained sea sponge or absorb linen fiber. I have even lightly rubbed a kneadable eraser over an offending area and had great success with lifting the color.
@@l.m.2404 Thanks for the tips.
Super realism is my favorite form of art and sculpture . It shows a true artist and a true mastery of painting. There are too many artists hiding they can't draw or paint past most amateurs.and to be successful in there lifetime is a rarity not many people realize.
But when it comes to art .buyer beware and remember it's what you like is the most important thing .when investing long term is the safest way to go like the stock market . Prices fluctuate and usually the payoff come with time and inflation . I love Picasso's earlier works much more than his later art . But as they say to each his own .
@@lonniehawkins582 super realism is life viewed through a camera lens.
As a child of an art history professor and an architect, and having looked at all the books in our family library, I had not been able to square the circle between that and school history books while I was growing up. History had always been taught in school as a disjointed, fatalistic and arbitrary sequence of events, describing the who, what, and where, but never the why, never the human context. It was not until I took an art and architectural history course in college that provided the glue to bind it all together into a better understanding of history itself, a throughline, a spine that everything connected to. It answered the more human question of why, that history books in school could not or would not address. So as a student of history yourself, you might discover a new facet to history with an art/architectural history course.
Ditto. Art is a reflection of the times in various parts of the world. And the situations in which artists found sponsors, or paying commissions also reflect social mores and the politics in play
I've learned a lot of history from my art history classes. Also learned from folk music, which I've been listening to since the very early sixties.
The difference between a painting and a photograph is that To paint you have to absorb a vision inside of you then make it come back out just as beautiful.
For the good photographers there is no difference.
Sometimes it takes a few hours other times I can't do anything
He was long time friends of Henry, William James, and Leslie Stephen so probably one of the first artists to have a modern understanding of psychological realism as reflected in his war commission.
If you want to read something challenging, try reading "Varieties of Religious Experiences" by William James.
@@roberthale2268 I've taught it a few times with the Turn of the Screw. His Society of Psychical Research essays go over better with students.
sargent is one of my favorite artists. his style is realistic, but just impressionistic enough to be like a painting and not a photograph. his use of light is on par with rembrandt and the other greats. thanks for the video!
Maybe you would like "Emma Colbert Art' right here on youtube. She does realism in pastel and also has a patreon channel which I used to subscribe to. I'm in a pretty strong 'art block' right now. Hence, the term 'used to'.
What a delightful, punchy ending. Great video. I just returned from France and have a newfound appreciation for history. "Look! Here is a retaining wall that's 200 years older than our country!"
Wow. Amazing. Never heard of this guy. Love it
His brushwork especially in the background elements is amazing and if he'd never made a painting other than Madame X he'd still be famous, his drawings are exceptional as well
I had never heard of Sargent until the mid-80s when I was in college in Milwaukee and my friend, an art history major, invited me to join her on a short road trip to Chicago to see a Sargent exhibition at the Art Institute. I was blown away by seeing his work! I had never really been into portraiture before, not as a genre, but Sargent really struck a chord with me. As much as I loved iconic works like Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose and Madame X, my favorite was the dual portrait of Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps Stokes. I just stood there staring at it for long minutes, creating a story of their lives in my head. It remains my favorite of his.
I love the Art Institute of Chicago. Every time I visit the Windy City; a trip there is mandatory. My first visit came in 1986, when I was in town for a wedding of a family friend. I was with my older and youngest sister; and I was anxious to see the Gothic and Medieval collection, while youngest sister wanted to see the Impressionsts. To our utter dismay, those sections of the museum were closed for the next three years for renovations. As we turned away from the temporary wall, we saw two of the great works of American art, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks and Grant Wood's American Gothic.
We finally made it back in 1991 and we were psyched to see what we had missed before. But at the time, the AIC was hosting a recreation of the "Entartete Kunst" or Degenerate Art exhibit the Nazis put on in 1937. We ended up spending the entire day in the exhibit, being completely blown away. We came back to the AIC the day we left Chicago to finally see what we had missed five years before. And I was floored at what I saw. Several weeks after, we attended the funeral of an aunt. While talking to two of my cousins, one asked whatever happened to all the art the Nazis confiscated. I said, as a matter of fact...
@@tygrkhat4087 Growing up in Joliet, we were an hour drive from downtown Chicago, and my parents made it a point to take us into the city several times a year. The Art Institute is my favorite museum, one I return to time and again over the decades. The first major exhibition I saw at that museum was when my 12 year old self dragged my dad there to see works from Pompeii (yes, I have been a history buff all my life!). I have seen a Monet exhibition, the Sargent one, and others as well. My favorite things to see from the permanent collection are the Thorne miniature rooms, the reassembled trading room of the now-gone Stock Exchange designed by Louis Sullivan, and allll of the Impressionists. And seeing Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon… in person is not to be missed!
@@kathyastrom1315 The Thorne miniature rooms are fantastic. I wish I could afford to go vist the AIC again.
You are dressed like a guilded frame that holds one of those Renaissance Masters Magnum Opus!💯
I have always loved the works of John Singer Sargent, from my old art school days. My first love: history. Art history was an amazing mixture and I’ve always been fascinated by the times in which artists lived/how they impacted or were impacted by it. Good choice! I’ve said before I’m no fan of the British or their army, however Singer’s portrayal of gassed soldiers was astounding; daring!
I went to see his retrospective at the National Gallery of Art in DC, enraptured. He wanted to earn a successful living, and that he did. Do more like this, please!!!!!
Outstanding 👍👍
Thank you for this video. Sargent and Alphonse Mucha have always been two of my favorite artists.
Sargent made the most amazing "photo-realistic" paintings...beautifully rendered. Thanks for sharing!
I agree! I know what I like! Excellent!
Expressing the "value" of a work of art by its sale price seems especially fitting in a video sponsored by Masterworks. 😄
Sargent's mastery of fabric reminds me of Reynolds; both could give a tactile impressing with minimal brushwork. Great stuff.
I was immediately impressed with the clothing in his portrait of Lord Ribblesdale @12:31. You can 'feel' the stiffness of the fabric, you can somehow see that his pants are made of wool. The quality of light and shadow in the folds is just remarkable, Sargent was nothing if not fastidious, the detail is stunning.
@@trublgrl I agree. You can basically feel the weight of the coat sitting on your shoulders just by looking at it.
I love John Singer Sargent's work! Our daughter and I were able to attend an exposition of his art at the Boston Museum of Art several years ago. They are truly breathtaking, seen up close!
I am certainly not a student of art, but I too like Sargent's works THG.
It is high tribute to Sargent, that his work inspires you to have a love of history that you share with us. Thank you John Singer Sargent for inspiring Lance Geiger who has shared his viewpoints of history with all. Lance Geiger is making history, by making history worth remembering.
My paternal grandfather was born in 1885 and Sargent's 1884 work had me thinking of my pregnant great-grandmother. History indeed. 😁
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to travel, see, and experience the best of the world.
I must say I am not the kind of man who likes to view paintings as a way to spend time, like in an art gallery. But Sargent's style and ability are just mind blowing to me and I could spend hours looking at his works.
Rufus Wainwright's THE ART TEACHER is a song about a schoolgirl's crush for her Art Teacher. Sargent is mentioned as well as J. M. W. Turner. When the movie about Turner's life came out, I was very taken by it. Now I wish they'd do one for Sargent to put a cap on that song.
I am so glad you showed GASSED it is homage to his humanity and willingness to speak out publicly about the horrors of war. He has another large portrait of WW1 leaders ruthlessly showing their personas and limitations. I believe the Gatreau portrait scandal could well be a French effort to get rid of a foreigner who could outpaint the French and/or a cabal against a foreign beauty who could out elegant them. Those that controlled the salon in those days were narrow and ultra conservative. Sargent is one of my very favorite artists both for technical capability and humanity I greatly appreciate you including him in your fine series
Excellent points!
Excellent video as always.
Years ago in Milwaukee I had a brief opportunity to study with the late classically trained painter Jim Prohl. I had admired Sargent and the later Ashcan School (unrelated but related) and when I was headed to a wedding in Boston, Jim gave me the names of some dealers who might have a Sargent or Ashcan artists in their "stock". I still remember walking around the district with my day backpack inquiring at the half dozen or so galleries when one did indeed have a Sargent. The gentleman asked me to wait a moment, left, came back and brought me upstairs to a small storeroom with racks. He slid out this amazing portrait by Sargent, gave me a chair and told me to take my time and enjoy, and when I left I was to let him know downstairs. Dumbfounded that he left me alone with this treasure, I just sat there trying to soak it in, the use of light, the pose, the brushstrokes, the layering of paint, the impressions of these daubs of paint created from afar and that seemed so inconsequential up close.
That painting of the blind soldiers brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of a poem that was recently read to me: "DULCE ET DECORUM EST". If you're interested in some well-read WWI poems, look up "A Vox in the Void" and his video titled ""TO END ALL WARS" - POETRY FROM THE GREAT WAR".
The poem by Wilfred Owen is often mentioned in conjunction with Sargent's Gassed.
I have always enjoyed art, but I really didn't come to appriciate it until I took several art history courses in college. I admit to a Eurocentric bias; but African, pre-Columbian American and Far Eastern art fascinate me.
Thank you Lance.... Your assessment of Sargent`s ability to record history reminds me of Norman Rockwell. Would love to see a video about him.
I was about to suggest that!
I too love John Singer Sergeant's work; one of my favorite things at Biltmore House in NC are his portraits of the Vanderbilts.
Didn't he also do the 2 large paintings on the 2nd floor of Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted?
I read a piece about him in the Smithsonian magazine about camouflage. He and Frederick Remington are my favorite American artist . Thanks HG .
My background and career have been in science, so my knowledge of art history has suffered. I enjoyed this episode a lot and hope you will do more in the subject. Now I have a quest to learn more art history. Thank you!
My favorite for years. Thank you
I really enjoyed this video about John Singer Sargent. My favorite works by Sargent are his paintings of real life scenes. To me the power of Sargent's paintings is that they reveal how a painting can be more powerful in showcasing reality and revealing the emotions of the subject, be it a place or a person, even more so than an exact photograph of that same subject. Such as in his paintings 'Bringing down marble', 'Graveyard of Tyrol', and 'The streets of Venice'. I believe the best example of his paintings evoking more realism of the subject more than an actual photograph of the exact same subject, or scene, would, is best shown in his infamous 'Gassed' painting. I think if someone had taken a photograph of that exact same scene, it would not be as powerful or revealing of the reality of that situation, as John Singer Sargent's painting.
JSS was already my favorite painter even before watching this - this just reinforced my feelings
I can't say who is my favorite but Sargent is one I look at often but Daniel Greene who recently passed away is even more fantastic. I wonder why people nowdays don't paint into the thousands as those people did during and before Sargents time? (or do they?)
Thank youuuuuu. Im an artist and Sargent is my all time favorite thank you so much!
Years ago I went to a special exhibition of Sargent's works at the MFA in Boston. As an artist myself, I spent a very long time studying a number of the paintings shown here as well as others, marveling at his technique. These are paintings best viewed from a bit of a distance from which they appear almost photographic, where up close they do not. No monitor or TV screen can do them justice, particularly the picture of the children with the Japanese lanterns. In that picture the orange light seems to actually glow. Sargent spent a lot of time developing that exact pigment to achieve the effect, and ground and made that paint himself.
Love to see a fellow St. Louisan exceed in excellence. Thank you for your wonderful videos.
I love your essays. So well-written and delivered. You are able to somehow turn the oddest trivia into spell-binding gems, or form the most random event into seismic history. You make the most subtle irony stick like no one else can, and every time, prove, without a doubt, that it most certainly is history that deserves to be remembered.
You did a great job actually. My wife and I went to the National Gallery a few weeks ago. Like you, we like Sargent’s work.
The remarkable thing about Singer Sargent's portraits is that they tell a story in still life. Madame X is so compelling because it's reflected it today's online "influencers" and cancel culture. Like Barenaked Ladies sings, it's all been done before. Madame X can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Sargents paintings have a soul that I don't see often.
John Singer Sargent painting Are Stunningly Beautiful = WOW.....Thank THG🎀......Bye
Awesome video! Thanks so much for this one!
Sargent's the best. A personal favorite, for sure. Great overview and insight into his work and life. Nice work :)
How can a Historian NOT be intressted in Art??? Architectur, Art, and Music are the Eyes, Voices, Hands and Ears of History. Marking the way like a Water line on a bridge.
This was one of your best!
I really enjoyed this episode. Learned a lot about someone I didn't know. I love history and art. Well done.
Thank you for another excellent history lesson on one of my favorite painters!
Excellent topic. Excellent artist. Excellent history lesson. Bravo, sir!
Thanks for showing so many of his pieces!!
What I enjoy about fabulous art - in places like the Met, the Smithsonian and the more recent Arkansas’ Crystal Bridges - is that it does depict history - as well as depicting history incorrectly. For the latter, I’ll cite the famous “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by a German artist who never set foot in the US. Sargent, however displayed a genius for giving us an insight into the personalities of the wealthy during the Gilded Age, as well as other history. Thanks so much for this, as always, informative look back.
Loved this! Thank you so much!
One can see Sargent's influence on Norman Rockwell, if one has sight. That aside, what a fine YT channel is this? Excellent content, composition and presentation always. Cheers.
John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer are America's two greatest masters of watercolor. And Winslow's oil paintings of ordinary people working, at play, or dealing with a dangerous and violent Atlantic Ocean, show his mastery of the medium.
I vaguely remember prior to his death on Inside Edition or Hard Copy talking about being related to a famous actor. Dick Sargent personally my favorite Darrin from Bewitched
Really...that was a relation? lol, a small world indeed!
I am 68 years old. I remember my grandmother talking about John Singer Sargent, that he was related but such a scoundrel in his own way. She lived in Bow, NH, and as a kid used to watch Mary Baker Eddy pass by her home driving her one-horse carriage, always with a buggy whip. I guess without tv, the internet, people back then relied on real events to remember.
Sargent is in my top dozen favorite pre-1920s artists of all time, he really could capture the timeless essence of the good and deep in people and place and play, even in portraiture, so that the character of a painting's 'theater' is always fresh even if the surroundings and trappings within it are are of a different facade or era.
My favorite historian discussing my favorite artist.
I’ve recently developed a real appreciation for Sargent. I’ve gotten back into drawing after a long hiatus and looking at his works has been really inspiring. But the guy was just so prolific. There’s oils, watercolors, and charcoal drawings… I want to collect more prints of his work but if I get started I don’t know where I’ll stop!
Great show, my favorite artist, love his watercolors
Great video! The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC currently has an exhibit of his works done in Spain called "Sargent and Spain" and so this video is very timely.
My favorite artist and lo and behold, THG does Sargent
Well done. Thank you.
Great video! I was hoping to see a few more of his watercolors in this video, as he was one of the few famous oil painters that could really paint great watercolor paintings as well. Watercolor painting require such a different discipline and technique that make
him even more amazing. In books of great watercolor painters, you will usually see one of his works.
I don't art, but I know what I like!😁
Thank you!
His work gives me the ability to connect, for at least a moment to our past. I'm not one to be envies of others, but I find myself feeling that for Mr. Winn. GOD BLESS and I hope you enjoy the holiday season.
Bravo!
One can always tell when a creator holds a fascination with their subject... It shines through in spite of all efforts to be objective. As was the case with with Singer Sergeant, so it is with the History Guy. :)
I appreciate your presentation of art, thank you, from an old farm boy.
I always loved his portrait of Teddy
This is interesting and a departure from the usual lesson. I, who fancy myself an artist, appreciate this episode.
THG, you are fantastic. There's nothing better on UA-cam.
Very enjoyable, thank you.
Really excellent and engaging video. Well presented.
One of my favorites !
While I enjoy and appreciate your peerless presentations, today I was continually distracted by your “artsy” vest and tie. Bravo!
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally!
His water colours are wonderful, but the "Lily" painting is the one I first saw and I was hooked.
And then there is how young children see works of art. Upon viewing The Misses Hunter in a touring exhibit, a youngster gave a museum docent a quiet fit of giggles. The child was six or seven years old; after studying the portrait a few moments, quietly asserted "they're witches" , with a small nod, and wandered off to the next portrait.
Thank you for doing this report on John Singer Sargent. He is one of many artists that I like.
Maybe you could put on a sparkle yellow gold tie a little flash 👍🌟
Glad you did some art history! Sargent is a great pick
According to Wikipedia:
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (/ˈeɪkɪnz/; July 25, 1844 - June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer,[1] sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists.[2][3]
He painted several hundred portraits, usually of friends, family members, or prominent people in the arts, sciences, medicine, and clergy including, The Gross Clinic or The Clinic of Dr. Gross (1875) and The Agnew Clinic or The Clinic of Dr. Agnew (1889).
Thanks!
I love his paintings also I used to work at the Welch Medical Library at John's Hopkins University there is a famous painting by Sargent hanging in there called the Four Doctors glad to have seen his work.
One of my favorite artists and have seen "Madame X" many times. Amazing!
There are two works by Sargent on display at the Amon Carter museum in Fort Worth, Texas. One, a full length portrait of Edwin Booth and the other a portrait of a young girl; they are both beautiful but the one of the young girl is exquisite. Sargent is prominently mentioned in David McCullough's book "A Necessary Journey". It is about Americans who traveled to Paris in the 1800's to learn about art, medicine and other subjects. The book is the best that McCullough ever wrote and Sargent's artwork is wonderful. In another episode the History Guy had done a video of Samuel F B Morse and it was because of McCullough's book that I already knew about his art background and because of the Amon Carter museum that I had seen his painting done at the Louvre that the History Guy had prominently mentioned.
You have inspired me to research further! Wonderful presentation.
Interesting how "The Age of Innocence" (1993) popped up on my UA-cam recommendations this week.
I taught history, and the other Social Studies for 35 years and what got me to love history is the TV Series, "The World at War" narrated by Sir. Lawrence Olivier! Different medium, but the same result!
And another one.....OUT OF THE PARK! Thank you
I love this segment...as a young boy I thought art 2as for sissies and women..UNTIL I watched that greatest of all PBS series Lord Kenneth Ckark's landmark "Civilisation"..something I believe should be part of every student's curriculum..unrol now I knew little of Sargent...he must have had numerous works in progress at ine time to gave accomplished that body of work...