Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Silhouette Sketch by Sargent

 In this quick ink drawing, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) captures a moment in silhouette. 

John Singer Sargent, Four Figures, 14 x 10", Harvard Art Museum

From a low eye level, he shows two figures with their hands clasped, and two more figures in the distance. He allows the sleeve of the central figure and the robe of the figure on the right to be a little lighter than the deep black of the rest of the silhouette. 
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From the collection of Harvard Art Museum

4 comments:

Terry said...

That's amazing. It has the feel of a "moment" captured unawares. I'd love to know if there's a story to it.

malatesta said...

Hi from Spain. I just wanted to say you have been a big inspiration. Since I discovered your youtube channel I have learned a lot, and even more important than that, I have rediscovered the joy of drawing for pleasure. Through the interview in Draftsmen I learned the existence of this blog, so here I am. So much to read! Thank you.

James Gurney said...

Malatesta, thanks for visiting the blog. If you use the search box at the upper left, you can find posts on all sorts of topics.

Bill Marshall said...

"quick drawing"? How quick is quick for Sargent? I would have loved to have watched him sketch this with brush and ink in "real time" to really know. It is a very precise drawing. (Personally, I think it took him a lot longer than the popular assumptions of "quick").

Bill