John Singer Sargent was born in Europe and had lived there most of his life. However his parents are American. So what is he really? European or American? In my opinion, he is both European and American. I was born in Hong Kong. However I moved to the United States for about 12 years. But I consider myself both Chinese and American. I never saw the point in making a specific distinction. Living in U.S. most of my life doesn’t make me any less of a Chinese. Being born in China doesn’t make me any less proud of being an American. It doesn’t really matter what John Singer Sargent is, other than the fact that he is a really talented impressionist.
While reading the “Picture and Text” essay by Henry James, I had to stop to look up what is impressionism. According to Dictionary.com, impressionism is “a style of painting developed in the last third of the 19th century, characterized chiefly by short brushstrokes of bright colors in immediate juxtaposition to represent the effect of light on objects.”. After understanding what impressionism is, I find that it is much easier to interpret and admire Sargent’s art.
Let’s look at Sargent’s “El Jaleo” (1882) for example. After knowing the definition of impressionism, I took more notice of the juxtaposition of the color between shadow and light. Although the dancer is stand in front, the shadow that surrounds her makes her less of the center of attention. The bright light around the background dancers and musicians make them more conspicuous. The arms raised background dancers look cheerful and deep into the moment. The audience in the back with head thrown back is enjoying every moment of this festivity.
Next up, “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit” (1882). This is by far my favorite painting by Sargent. Although the two girls is in the dark and far away, they are hard to miss. Their matching white dresses make them stand out against their dark background. They are positioned in the center of the painting, although far away. One facing away showing us only her profile, while the other is facing straight towards us. The little girl on the left of the painting staring towards us with one foot forward looking like she wants to come closer but is too shy to do so. The toddler sitting on the floor is holding her doll for comfort. All of which makes me wonder what are they thinking at this moment, what are they looking at, and what is their story. I enjoy the curiosity this painting brought to me.
Analyzing the different paintings made me understand why Sargent is known as the “recruit of high value to the camp of the Impressionist” to Henry James.
I understand that you were born in Hong Kong and raised in the United States for many years and that you identify with being both Chinese and American, just like how you think Sargent is both American and European. I agree in that aspect and that as a person you can say Sargent is European-American, but how would you classify his artwork? Are they painted in an American or European style? The easy answer would be that it is a fusion, but I personally think that Sargent’s artworks were painted in more of an European style than American just because most of his art career took place in Europe where he could have been influenced by the artist there.
I have to agree that “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit” would probably be my favorite painting by John Sargent as well. Like you said the way that Sargent paints the pictures and the color contrasts that he uses creates a scene in your head that allows you to imagine what it was like at that moment in this picture. The girls that are depicted in the painting was also why I was at first caught by this painting but after careful observation I feel like the background was also a big factor. When looking at this painting I also feel countless possibilities of what they might have been thinking, what they were doing, and other questions that aroused from my curiousity.
I thought it was very interesting that you were able to make the connection between your life and the artist’s. I do feel, however, that simply because of the artwork he created, he is considered to be a European artist. Setting his American origins aside, he was born and raised in Europe. His artwork was so similar to that of a Frenchman that the people of his time thought that he was Parisian. It’s just interesting that people would attempt to connect such a magnificent, clearly European-influenced artist to America during this time period, especially since most world-renowned artists are in fact European.
I didn’t notice it until I read your response and I agree with you: there is a sense of balance in “El Jaleo” concerning the use of shadows and light. Although the dancer is the closest to the spectator, she surrounded by the darkness of shadow. Thus, in a way, she is concealed. However, in the background, the dancers are lit up in a way where it would be hard not to notice them. In this way Sargent was able to bring attention to various aspects of his painting.
And I completely agree with the curiosity that is attached to the painting “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit”. Immediately the first thought that I came up with was “what are those girls doing?” or “what are they thinking?” I think it’s because Sargent created a visible dynamic between the sisters without explaining specifically what they are and how they got there. Therefore, curiosity happens.