Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) stands among the greatest of watercolor painters, along with J.M.W. Turner, Winslow Homer, and other masters of this difficult medium. Watercolor was more than a distraction from the portrait and mural commissions Sargent labored over; after 1900, watercolor became central to his artistic vision. His aquarelles are, simply stated, masterworks. Portraits, interiors, landscapes, architectural studies--Sargent's work in watercolor offers a great variety of subject matter, ranging from Arab gypsies to World War I soldiers, to masterful depictions of Venetian churches, to Florida swamp alligators.



Sargent carried his watercolors on his travels; They were ideally suited to capturing the scene, the light, the air, wherever he found himself. This book serves as a record of his travels, featuring the paintings he produced in Palestine, Northern Africa, the Canadian Rockies, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Greece. Among specific locales were the islands of Majorca and Corfu; Florence, Venice, Carrara, Lake Garda, and Rome; the Alps; Lake O'Hara; the coast of Maine and the Miami River.



Sargent's bold and often experimental use of the medium, which sometimes led to semi-abstract images, compels admiration among contemporary painters as well as museum goers today. In addition to placing Sargent's accomplishments in the context of his life and time, Carl Little discusses the artist's extraordinary watercolor technique.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Sargent has lately received much deserved attention. In addition to the nearly completed catalogue raisonne of his portraits, a fine retrospective of his work is now on view in Washington before going on to Boston. The catalog of this show, John Singer Sargent, ed. by Elaine Kilmurry and Richard Ormond (CH, Jun'99), the best overall study of this artist's work, includes the significant chapter "Sargent the Watercolourist." Little's attractive book focuses exclusively on Sargent's watercolors, a subject often overshadowed by the more famous and glamorous oils. Little, the author of several art books, performs a very useful service by presenting more than 150 excellent color illustrations of Sargent's work in this medium. His introductory essay covers familiar biographical ground while stressing Sargent's commitment to watercolor. What is missing is the analysis and observations on matters of technique brought to light by Kilmurry and Ormond. The Watercolors has a select bibliography, extensive endnotes to the introductory essay, and a list of all plates. Recommended primarily for art libraries and collections specializing in American art. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. W. S. Rodner; Tidewater Community College

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Carl Little is the author of Edward Hopper's New England (1993) and Winslow Homer: His Art, His Light, His Landscapes (1997). His essays and reviews appear in Art New England, Town & Country, and Art in America , where he was formerly associate editor. He has lectured at the Portland Museum of Art and the Farnsworth Art Museum in Maine.