Portraiture is a demanding art requiring the artist to capture a likeness and render it revealing some hint of the personality behind the image. A two-pronged task; it requires great technical skill and an intuitive eye. In both these respects; John Singer Sargent stands out as a portrait artist of major stature.Born in 1856 in Florence of American parents; Sargent showed artistic aptitude at an early age and was enrolled at the Academia delle Belle Arti in that city. Later he studied with Parisian artist Carolus Duran; acquiring the loose; painterly style for which he is renowned. International acclaim as a portrait artist came early in his life and followed him throughout his career.Sargents portraits done in oil are well known; they appear in major museums throughout the world. A lesser-known but no less respected aspect of his oeuvre; his portrait drawings are the focus of this collection. Included here are early works in pencil and pastels; and later renderings in charcoal; a medium Sargent favored after 1910. They have been selected from both public and private collections by art historian Trevor J. Fairbrother and attest to Sargents technical skill; versatility; and dexterity in three different mediums.In addition; these works reveal Sargents ability to treat a diverse group of subjects; he handles the languorous beauties of the Edwardian age; members of the aristocracy; and the great literary and artistic figures of his day with equal virtuosity; capturing their characteristic mood and style. This collection includes portraits of Lord and Lady Spencer; Henry James; William Butler Yeats; Vaslav Nijimsky; Tamara Karsavina; Dame Ethel Smyth; and Jascha Heifetz.Artists; students; historians; and lovers of portraiture will appreciate this selection of drawings by Sargent. Anyone interested in trying his hand at portraiture will find this volume both instructional and inspirational.
#3169235 in eBooks 2013-07-24 2013-07-24File Name: B008SAB49K
Review
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. do not buy this bookBy JWZThe problem i have is that the book does not go in depth with the software itself. Ive never used any of the Corel Painter software and I learned more from just messing around by myself than what the book has taught me. As for the dvd. it is a joke. Most of it is about his artwork: His style. his approach and him dancing in a zoot suit (no joke). I was hoping that the dvd would be instructional. but if it is instructions that you are looking for. youll need to go to his website and pay for the online tutorials (which is also advertised on the dvd). Save your money. Dont buy this book. Take a class or something.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Painter 11By Abraham BowmanMy brother got this book for me for my birthday to help develope some of my skills with Corel Painter. I found that the book was easy to read and to understand.it makes a good refference for photo to paint projects. It all so touched on some of the layer and masking elements of the program.which I found very helpful.I beleive this book to be a very helpful tool and Im very glad to have my brothers support.5 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Too BasicBy Jeffrey YipThis book is completely for beginners. I didnt have knowledge of corel painter prior. I still dont. This book doesnt teach painter. Jeremy just teaches you his work flow pretty much. For some people that may be enough. I want to learn the software not your work-flow. Dont spend a chapter telling me how I should save my files.This book is probably decent for those who know little about graphic design or that matter with photoshop. If you know photoshop you will find that this book is useless. Theres a whole chapter at the end of this book showing you his work. I dont even like his work. It seemed like this book was just a showcase for his art. which is just photographs with paint thrown on it.So in conclusion this book maybe good for you if you dont know a lick of design. Its written in a manor that is real easy to understand so I gave it an extra star. but trust me dont get it if you know photoshop. Everything he teaches you you can pretty much just figure out yourself.
