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| John Singer Sargent. San VigiIio: A Boat with a Golden Sail. 1913 |
This lovely impressionistic painting, by
John Singer Sargent (1856 – 1925) is set in San Vigilio on the beautiful and
tranquil shore of Lake Garda, Italy. It is always pleasing to look at; using a
limited palette, its use of light is magical. Are the sails golden or is it the
sunlight? All of the other elements in the picture appear to be draped in late
afternoon sunlight, (I know its afternoon and not morning because the light is
coming from the west.)
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| San Vigilio today |
Sargent is well known as a very great
portraitist and quite rightly so, but I have always preferred his landscapes.
For me they simply convey a great joy in just looking at his subjects. He was
highly skilled in the use both oil paints and watercolours. His parents were
American but he was born in Florence and spent most of his life in Europe so he
is regarded as an American ‘expat’.
I'm listening to Madeleine Peyroux singing a lovely,jazzy version of Bob Dylan's You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go. Listen here
9 comments:
Hello Bazza, Sargent's landscapes certainly are masterful, but I still like his portraits. Not only do they beautifully record their era, they also provide real psychological penetration into the world of the Gibson Girl.
--Jim
The first Singer Sargent I saw here was Hospital at Granada (1912). Although it was painted only a year earlier than your Golden Sail painting (1913), it was full of human emotions and expectations. I still love the image.
Hi Jim: Yes, I realise the quality of his portraits. I'm just talking about a personal preference really. I had to Google 'The Gibson Girl'. Very interesting. Thank you.
Hels: I'm fairly sure we saw that painting in Melbourne. On the whole I think I do favour his watercolour landscapes. Hospital at Granada has quite a muted palette compared to Golden Sail but it is very serene. (I Googled that as well!)
I do like watercolors and this one is lovely. I enjoy your reviews and comments on art and you make me want to know more.
I had quite a few Madeleine Peyroux CDs that I would listen to on my ride to and from work. They are all packed up in a box in my basement as now everything is streamed. It is easier, but I do miss giving and receiving music. It was always a good gift.
Arleen: I think Sargent seems to achieve a lot with the minimum work necessary.
I have seen adverts for businesses wanting buy vinyl records; maybe one day all of our old CDs will come back into fashion and be in demand!
That's a masterful painting. The sort of thing I can stand and admire for a long time. Or until my husband's eyes start to glaze over. :)
Susan: I hear that! I have the same reaction. The funniest is when I go away for a few days with the lads; I'm always trying to drag them out of the bars into museums or galleries. I think they are beginning to hate me!
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