John Singer Sargent and the Gilded Age

John Singer Sargent was somewhat of a rarity, having achieved recognition and success as an artist during his lifetime. He was controversial as an artist- known for realism in a period when experimental forms like impressionism and cubism were in vogue. He was an intriguing person, intensely private, and almost a man without country. But his prodigious body of work is, above all, a stunning record of the time in which he lived.

This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.

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All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.

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Script by THG

#history #thehistoryguy #Art

[TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Purchase shares in great masterpieces from artists like Pablo Picasso, Banksy, Andy Warhol, and more. 🎨

[monkeygraborange]

You neglected to mention the fact the the painting “Gassed” is almost 8 feet high and 20 feet long, rendering the figures close to life-sized. The emotional impact of encountering this painting is indescribable.

[anoniaciesluk]

The artwork Gassed brought tears to my eyes as I recently came to know that my great grand uncle won a silver star after being blinded by gas yet remaining on station passing shells to his men and egging them on at their field piece during a battle in the Great War. I’d never had it brought home to me so bluntly just how many suffered this fate.

[riftster]

I'm a classicly trained Illustrator and large scale muralist; the fact that THG is drawn to Sargent is a testament to his intellect and good taste. JSS was an artist's artist- his multi-faceted talent and work ethic are goalposts for a great many of us.His paintings at the DIA are usually my first stop in the museum.

[alexius]

I totally agree with your conclusion. I don’t recall the first time I saw a work of art by Sargent. I do recall thinking that he was an artist of substance & his painting was very evocative. Decades later my respect & admiration has continued and my appreciation has only deepened.

[SHAdEheart]

As an Artist of sorts myself one of the things I love about Singer Sargent is that the real “Art” in his work is as much in the subject as it is in technique. He could have painted in any style, he was fully capable, but he saw Art as what he saw before him and his paintings were just representing this. Or so I like to think anyway, this is simply what his work says to me. Great video, your channel is a work of historical art itself!

[trublgrl]

For a topic that is "Not your thing, " this was a very educational, and at times very personal and insightful view into an exceptional talent. I feel like I can tell when a historian is speaking from impersonal data sourcing, versus when they are emotionally connected with the material. So many of your pieces really do have that emotional weight to the story, I feel you have deep empathy with people, places and things that are long past. I really appreciate that in your commentaries. Many thanks.

[bjmcmahon]

My favorite American artist, always loved his work...enjoyable hearing a bit more of his real life here. Thank you...

[erfquake]

As a child of an art history professor and an architect, and having looked at all the books in our family library, I had not been able to square the circle between that and school history books while I was growing up. History had always been taught in school as a disjointed, fatalistic and arbitrary sequence of events, describing the who, what, and where, but never the why, never the human context. It was not until I took an art and architectural history course in college that provided the glue to bind it all together into a better understanding of history itself, a throughline, a spine that everything connected to. It answered the more human question of why, that history books in school could not or would not address. So as a student of history yourself, you might discover a new facet to history with an art/architectural history course.

[HBrooks]

sargent is one of my favorite artists. his style is realistic, but just impressionistic enough to be like a painting and not a photograph. his use of light is on par with rembrandt and the other greats. thanks for the video!

[kathyastrom]

I had never heard of Sargent until the mid-80s when I was in college in Milwaukee and my friend, an art history major, invited me to join her on a short road trip to Chicago to see a Sargent exhibition at the Art Institute. I was blown away by seeing his work! I had never really been into portraiture before, not as a genre, but Sargent really struck a chord with me. As much as I loved iconic works like Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose and Madame X, my favorite was the dual portrait of Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps Stokes. I just stood there staring at it for long minutes, creating a story of their lives in my head. It remains my favorite of his.

[kevindonahue]

Years ago in Milwaukee I had a brief opportunity to study with the late classically trained painter Jim Prohl. I had admired Sargent and the later Ashcan School (unrelated but related) and when I was headed to a wedding in Boston, Jim gave me the names of some dealers who might have a Sargent or Ashcan artists in their "stock". I still remember walking around the district with my day backpack inquiring at the half dozen or so galleries when one did indeed have a Sargent. The gentleman asked me to wait a moment, left, came back and brought me upstairs to a small storeroom with racks. He slid out this amazing portrait by Sargent, gave me a chair and told me to take my time and enjoy, and when I left I was to let him know downstairs. Dumbfounded that he left me alone with this treasure, I just sat there trying to soak it in, the use of light, the pose, the brushstrokes, the layering of paint, the impressions of these daubs of paint created from afar and that seemed so inconsequential up close.

[jerryhablitzel]

The difference between a painting and a photograph is that To paint you have to absorb a vision inside of you then make it come back out just as beautiful.

[KJRoberts]

What a delightful, punchy ending. Great video. I just returned from France and have a newfound appreciation for history. "Look! Here is a retaining wall that's 200 years older than our country!"

[seangelarden]

His brushwork especially in the background elements is amazing and if he'd never made a painting other than Madame X he'd still be famous, his drawings are exceptional as well

[shawnr]

Thank you for the lesson.

You are Baroque when you are all out of Monet.

[maureenfitzgerald]

I have always loved the works of John Singer Sargent, from my old art school days. My first love: history. Art history was an amazing mixture and I’ve always been fascinated by the times in which artists lived/how they impacted or were impacted by it. Good choice! I’ve said before I’m no fan of the British or their army, however Singer’s portrayal of gassed soldiers was astounding; daring!
I went to see his retrospective at the National Gallery of Art in DC, enraptured. He wanted to earn a successful living, and that he did. Do more like this,

[kevinparentin]

My favorite historian discussing my favorite artist.

[drinksanddice]

He was long time friends of Henry, William James, and Leslie Stephen so probably one of the first artists to have a modern understanding of psychological realism as reflected in his war commission.

[michaelfuller]

Sargent made the most amazing "photo-realistic" paintings...beautifully rendered. Thanks for sharing!