John Singer Sargent Portraits in Charcoal Part 1

One of my favorite painters is John Singer Sargent. I have had the privilege of viewing many of his works at various museums within New York City and they never disappoint. Christmas Eve last year I spent some hours at one of my favorite museums, The Morgan Library, and viewed this wonderful exhibit. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did and that they bring you some joy during this difficult time in our world's history. We need to be able to view beautiful works and get excited about once again visiting museums.  

From the Morgan Library and Museum: 

John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) was one of the greatest portrait artists of his time. While he is best known for his powerful paintings, he largely ceased painting portraits in 1907 and turned instead to charcoal drawings to satisfy portrait commissions. These drawn portraits represent a substantial, yet often overlooked, part of his practice, and they demonstrate the same sense of immediacy, psychological sensitivity, and mastery of chiaroscuro that animate Sargent’s sitters on canvas. The first major exhibition to explore the artist’s expressive portraits in charcoal, John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal will recognize the sheer scale of Sargent’s achievement as a portrait draftsman. Important international loans, from both public and private collections, will showcase Sargent’s sitters, many of them famous for their roles in politics, society, and the arts. The exhibition will also explore the friendships and the networks of patronage that underpinned Sargent’s practice as a portrait draftsman in Edwardian Britain and Progressive Era America.

When you view his work, you feel like the person is going to blink at you! 

John Singer Sargent (1856–1925)

Lady Diana Manners 1914

Charcoal Private Collection.

One of my favorites in this exhibit, Lady Diana Manners was a very famous social figure in London and Paris. I am on the hunt for her memoir as would be a great read while staying at home. 

'First you are young; then you are middle-aged; then you are old; then you are wonderful. - Lady Diana Cooper (1892-1986) 

Wonderful self portrait, he was a handsome man 

The Morgan Library offers many online exhibitions for your viewing from the comfort of your own home. Be sure to give them a visit!


Morgan Library and Museum 
225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street
New York, NY

Hours
The Morgan Library & Museum and the Morgan Shop are open
Tuesday through Thursday: 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Morgan closes at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

Closed Monday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

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