Richard Ormond – författare

For the first time, explore John Singer Sargent’s fascination with Spain as seen in stunning landscapes, architectural views, figure studies, and scenes of everyday lifeAmerican artist John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) experienced Spain, including the picturesque island of Majorca, as a source of rejuvenation and inspiration. Sargent and Spain features scores of the artist’s dazzling watercolors, oil paintings, and drawings, from landscapes and seascapes to architectural studies, scenes of everyday life, and sympathetic portraits of the Roma and other local people he encountered. Immersing himself in the country’s rich culture, he studied Spanish masters old and new, lavishing particular attention on works by Diego Velázquez in the Prado. He rendered the distinctive architecture of the Alhambra as well as other palaces and churches, and he captured lively scenes of ports and villages. Intrigued by Spanish dance and music, Sargent created dynamic views of flamenco and the famous dancer La Carmencita. A map and an illustrated chronology document the artist’s seven trips to and travels through Spain. This handsome book showcases, for the first time, Sargent’s captivation with Spain and the remarkable works of art now associated with it.  Published in association with the National Gallery of Art, Washington  Exhibition Schedule:  National Gallery of Art, Washington(October 2, 2022–January 2, 2023)  Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Legion of Honor(February 11–May 14, 2023)

A comprehensive catalogue of Sargent’s charcoal portraits, capturing high society, professions, and the arts in an era of profound transformation  In comparison with his portraits in oil, John Singer Sargent’s charcoal portraits are relatively little known. In this authoritative new volume, Richard Ormond documents the nearly 700 drawings that make up this distinct strand of Sargent’s oeuvre. These portraits capture the essence of British and American high society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, portraying an elite clientele that includes aristocracy, royalty, politicians, artists, writers, actors, financiers, and philanthropists. Among Sargent’s subjects are such prominent figures as the Astors, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Du Ponts, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Ethel Barrymore, W. B. Yeats, and Winston Churchill.  Though renowned for his paintings of women, these charcoal portraits also reveal Sargent’s interest in depicting athletes across a variety of sports, from cricket and fencing to football and polo. This shift in subject matter from prewar to postwar, along with a sparser style characteristic of his charcoal work, casts new light on Sargent’s depictions of the period’s social landscape.  Surviving letters between Sargent and his patrons, reminiscences recorded in contemporary diaries, and David McKibbin’s extensive correspondence with sitters, both document the portraits and provide a vivid and human picture of the artist at work.Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

The final volume in a full survey of the work of John Singer Sargent, covering his late watercolors, designs for the Boston murals, and work as an official War ArtistThe last in a series of books devoted to the work of John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), this volume covers the figure and landscape works that Sargent produced between 1914 and 1925. The story begins with the artist painting with friends on vacation in Austria in the summer of 1914, unaware that war was about to be declared. The following year, he began working in London on his ideas for the murals at the Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, before spending two years in Boston and exploring other parts of America. While in Florida to paint a portrait of John D. Rockefeller, he produced a group of uniquely Floridian watercolors that are breathtaking arrangements of color, form, and light. In July 1918 he accepted an invitation from the British government to travel to the Somme battlefields as an official war artist. This experience led him to produce a remarkable group of works depicting troop movements, off-duty soldiers relaxing, and the studies for his epic canvas, Gassed. Sargent returned to Boston in 1921 and 1922 to complete his mural projects, and visits to Maine and New Hampshire yielded numerous watercolors. Chapters on Sargent’s materials and the framing of his pictures complete this remarkable project.Published for The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art