Distinguished American-born artist (1856 –1925) who spent most of his career as an expatriate in Europe. While he painted a variety of subjects in various media, his fame rests primarily on his evocative, penetrating society portraits. Six signed images of Sargent’s work, ranging in size from 9.25 x 5.5 to 10 x 13.5, one affixed to a cardstock mount and another matted, each signed in ink or pencil, “John S. Sargent.” In good to very good condition, with scattered moderate toning, foxing, and silvering to the darker areas of some images. Also included is an unsigned original 5.5 x 13 photograph of his most famous painting of Isabella Stewart Gardner, annotated “Isabella” in an unknown hand (in good condition, faded, and with areas of staining affecting appearance), matted with a more modern reproduction of the same image to an overall size of 14.25 x 15.75.
This selection of photographs of preliminary sketches provides a rough blueprint of the technique Sargent stressed most fervently: “You can’t do sketches enough. Sketch everything and keep everything and keep your curiosity fresh.? Primarily known for his stunning portrait work, Sargent enjoyed a wildly successful career of capturing the essence and personalities of his subjects, including the more notable Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. His preparation for an oil painting consisted of a multitude of sketches, and spent much time focusing on a particular area of the subject, for instance, ?If you work on a head for a week without indicating the features, you will have learned something about the modeling of the head.” This type of dedication to, and mastery of, his subject matter led to the evolution of one of the most praised portrait artists of the 20th century, leaving behind a body of nearly 900 oil paintings, over 2,000 watercolors, and a plethora of sketches and charcoal drawings. RRAuction COA.
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