Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Easels in the Sacristy

John Singer Sargent, Pavement of St. Mark's, 1898
In late-nineteenth-century Venice, worshippers and tourists had to share St. Mark's cathedral with painters. According to artist and ambassador Maitland Armstrong, the artists were given an honored place:
"In San Marco the artists were privileged; we could sit and paint wherever we pleased, no one ever interfering with us; we were allowed to store our easels and canvases in the sacristy—there were so many of them that it looked more like a studio than the robing-room of a church... Never was there a more delightful place to work in."
----
Quote from Day Before Yesterday: Reminiscences of a Varied Life by Maitland Armstrong, 1920
at

3 comments:

  1. Karl KannerMarch 3, 2020 at 12:30 PM

    Why do I get the feeling I wouldn't be allowed to bring my easel in nowadays...haha. Very interesting, James!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Susan KrzywickiMarch 4, 2020 at 11:42 AM

    That painting is delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  3. gronkchicagoMarch 4, 2020 at 12:41 PM

    Remember going to Amsterdam back in the 1980's and seeing artists setting up in the Old Church. Wonderful.

    ReplyDelete

Due to a high level of spam we must moderate comments. Please identify yourself by name or social media handle so we know you're not a 'bot.'