John Singer Sargent & Silent Joy
I had been trying to see the John Singer Sargent Watercolor exhibit for the past few months when suddenly, I found time to see it, not once, but TWICE. Once in a quiet solitary viewing and a second time with a friend. Since he is one of my favorite artists, I relished the time to be in the presence of so much of his work.
When viewing his work up close, one sees odds and ends and elements of the picture, but stand back and there is a stunning view that was not visible up close. He had such a way with dramatically portraying gardens, fruit, statuary, people, water, boats, and architecture, all with a vision for how light affected everything. There was one painting in which large ceramic planters sitting on a cement balustrade nearly glowed with light. This is it here:
http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Villa_di_Marlia_The_Balustrade.htm
Also, check this one out:
http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Villa_di_Marlia_Lucca.htm
Beautiful! Feeling newly re-inspired by his work, I read up on his palette, and work methods. It was mentioned over and over how he chose elements that created drama with light and contrasts of shade rather than depicting an overall view of a garden or vista.
Fast forward one week. I began a silent retreat at the Villa de Matel with a walk in the woods. I basically stumbled upon stunning Sargent-esque views of the Villa de Matel's woods. Sunlight streamed through the trees, casting shadows and reflections onto the puddles and pools after a torrential rain. I was drunk with the beauty of it. Wading through puddles barefoot just added to the magical nature of the whole experience. Here is one piece of evidence out of a myriad of pictures:
When viewing his work up close, one sees odds and ends and elements of the picture, but stand back and there is a stunning view that was not visible up close. He had such a way with dramatically portraying gardens, fruit, statuary, people, water, boats, and architecture, all with a vision for how light affected everything. There was one painting in which large ceramic planters sitting on a cement balustrade nearly glowed with light. This is it here:
http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Villa_di_Marlia_The_Balustrade.htm
Also, check this one out:
http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Villa_di_Marlia_Lucca.htm
Beautiful! Feeling newly re-inspired by his work, I read up on his palette, and work methods. It was mentioned over and over how he chose elements that created drama with light and contrasts of shade rather than depicting an overall view of a garden or vista.
Fast forward one week. I began a silent retreat at the Villa de Matel with a walk in the woods. I basically stumbled upon stunning Sargent-esque views of the Villa de Matel's woods. Sunlight streamed through the trees, casting shadows and reflections onto the puddles and pools after a torrential rain. I was drunk with the beauty of it. Wading through puddles barefoot just added to the magical nature of the whole experience. Here is one piece of evidence out of a myriad of pictures:
Its time to find my watercolors!
Love this Lisa!!!!
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