“John Singer Sargent” and “Picture and Text” Reading Response

There are a plethora of forms of visual art, and within each form there are categories and subcategories that are specialized by the styles and impressions of various artists. For example, John Singer Sargent greatly influenced the art of impressionism through his distinct and powerful technique. According to the essay “John Singer Sargent”, written by H. Barbara Weinberg, Sargent was born to American parents, however, was raised in Europe for the entirety of his childhood. Through the diversity of his specific schooling, Singer discovered an interest in art, and his parents chose to support him in his endeavors to pursue his passion.

Sargent first enrolled in formal art training in Florence, however, was then sent to Paris by his ambitious father. There he studied under the tutelage of Carolus-Duran.

The most information that can be discovered about Sargent as an artist, however, can only be seen through his medium of artwork and artistic style. This is discussed in the essay “Picture and Text”, by Henry James, where various pieces painted by Sargent are analyzed, and  how each of them help expose more about him as an artist is described.

Whilst reading through James’ analysis of Sargent’s portraits and paintings, the concept of impressionism and the description of how Sargent contributed to impressionism struck me. What made Sargent so influential was that his artwork was very specific to himself. Rather than mirroring structure that was taught to him, the way that he painted was distinctly his personality. James wrote that “it is difficult to imagine a young painter less in the dark about his own ideal…” (2). To me, the thought that through expression of one’s true self there is tremendous outcome and, ultimately, success, as seen through the Sargent’s artwork left me with a surprising feeling of inspiration.

Also in James’ essay, the depiction of the process that Sargent uses to express himself through impressionism, to me, added a dimension to the creative process as a whole. James’ wrote that as an artist, the most impressive results come from  when an artist looks “deep into his subject, undergoes it, absorbs it, discovers in it new things that were not on the surface” (11). Therefore, the goal is not to recreate the most realistic portrait, but to inhale the subject with every sense of the body, allow it to evolve within the limits of perception, and portray the resulting visual and emotion through a medium. This idea left me in a deeply pensive state as I wondered how my perception of a subject can evolve within my thoughts to develop dimensions of reality, emotion and personality.

My favorite painting out of those that I experienced in James’ essay was “Incensing the Veil”, an oil painting that depicts a woman in a white robe and veil, with incense at her feet. The setting is mostly white, disregarding the colors of the carpet that the woman is standing on. There is a silent beauty that emanates from the scene. In fact, in his essay, James uses this piece as an example of direct contrast to Sargent’s El Jaleo, a painting depicting a danger surrounded by musicians, that “sins… in the direction of ugliness” (6). The the muted color scheme of the painting embodies a sensation of modesty and pure beauty.

John Singer Sargent to this day maintains a reputation as an artist that influenced art culture through his individual style. The future of his work is greatly anticipated.