
John Singer Sargent
The Charcoal Portraits
Richard Ormond(Author)
Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art (Publisher)
Published on 24. June 2025
Book
Hardback
407 pages
978-1-913107-46-8 (ISBN)
Description
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
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
Reviews / Votes
"A windfall for artists, art students, and those keen on close looking and visual culture."-Trevor Fairbrother, Arts FuseMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
720 colour and black and white images
Dimensions
Height: 315 mm
Width: 251 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
2528 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-913107-46-8 (9781913107468)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Richard Ormond is an art historian and the great-nephew of John Singer Sargent. He is the coauthor, with Elaine Kilmurray, of the nine-volume catalogue raisonne of Sargent's paintings.