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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.
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!
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.
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!"
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'.
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!
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!!!!!
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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 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.
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?)
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.
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.
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!
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
I agree with you History Guy. I was just thinking I don't care for "art" but I liked a lot of what you showed and would display it if I had it. I'm now thinking that John Singer Sargent is my favorite artist.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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).
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.
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
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!
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.
It should be noted that post-war disability claims show that very few soldiers were actually permanently blinded by gas and likewise most men with bandages over the eyes weren't even temporarily blind, it was merely official advice to cover the eyes in order to protect them (the chemicals in gas had a habit of sticking to anything they touched).
Sargent is the subject of a 20-minute opera scene called American Apollo, The music is by Damien Gates, Lila Palmer wrote the libretto. The story explores the relationship between the artist and a Black man named Thomas McKeller, who was a frequent model. Sargent did sketches of Mckeller's body that became public art--his body depicting classical heroic figures --with white faces. There is evidence that the men might have been lovers. I saw this produced as part of the 2022 season of the Des Moines Metro Opera in Iowa,. There is the possibility that a full-scale piece will expand the story, with a premiere by DMMO in 2024. I hope so. It is beautiful, powerful music.
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.
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.
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!
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. :)
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 👍🌟
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.
I don't have any Singer artwork, but his influence is quite evident in a 34 cent postage stamp of a WWI Marine that was taken from an original painting done by his contemporary, James Montgomery Flagg (best remembered for his Uncle Sam WWI recruiting poster). I found the tiny image intriguing and it rests among an odd assortment of memorabilia I've gathered over the decades and left on my desk. Such is the effect of art upon us.
14:37 "I don't know of another artist who so clearly encapsulated what it was like to live in his time." I think something similar could be said of Rockwell.
I, too , have liked John Singer Sargent, I am that cliche since I know what I like even though I have studied enough art history/art to know the critics are humbugs!
A little known fact is that Madame X was the granddaughter of Virginia de Ternant . Virginia was a wealthy plantation owner in New Roads Louisiana. The Plantation is named Parlange and is still a working sugar operation today owned by the original family. Wikipedia has a write-up on it. The plantation was built in 1797. Madame X is Virginia Amelie Avegno Gautreau. She abandoned Louisiana for an intriguing life in Parisian society. Much to the dismay of her grandmother.
One thing that is constantly overlooked and certainly never captured in any photograph of the Portrait of Madame X is the fact that her flesh is a pale lavender in color, which was a fashionable cosmetic trend of the moment for women of questionable moral character.
The Artist Hand, GG Beck We the simple people marvel at the artist hand How she uses language and topography of the land Stroked upon canvas he tells of many things Emotion, waves and mountains, the glory of kings How we love our writer's words and lavish in their wake And stand in awe of a sculpture's form of existing things . . .
The original version of "Madame x" had the strap very much off the shoulder. The entire painting visually hung on that strap. The painting was, indeed, a masterpiece. The painting you showed here was a re-make, to please the ladys mother, and Society.
Great video and your ending statement says it all . Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. C. S. Lewis
If viewers want to learn more about Sargent and his art I would highly recommend that they read David McCullough’s marvelous book “The Greater Journey” which records the history of the intrepid pioneering Americans who throughout the 19th century went to Paris to study, train and/or work because Paris provided the knowledge and opportunities to become the best in an individual’s chosen field of endeavor. This was because the US was still in its infancy as was its institutions of higher learning and training. Sargent was just one of those individuals, and his story is well documented in this book. His time in Paris is reflected in his many famous paintings. Even though he was a wandering ex patriot JSS’s great fame brought glory to the US which had been considered to be a cultural backwater until the late 1800’s. Thanks History Guy for using the arts to tell a fascinating story. If you haven’t already got some ideas of your own for future videos may I suggest that you begin with Samuel FB Morse who went to Paris to study painting and came home with the idea of inventing the telegraph. McCullough’s book is a wonderful resource for more “the arts as history” episodes.
