John Singer Sargent Exhibit at the Met

October 9, 2015

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“Autumn in New York, why does it seem so inviting?”

…ok maybe not quite so inviting when then sidewalks are littered with tourist’s abandoned umbrellas blown inside out from the rain and crazy pre-hurricane winds!

But we didn’t let that stop us!

My husband Derek and I spent a wonderful four days in New York with my brother and sister-in-law who are both architects in the Big Apple.

I was thrilled when I realized our trip would overlap with the John Singer Sargent show at the Met! Sargent is one of my very favorite artists. When I was studying in di Domizio’s studio I often copied Sargent’s paintings as a way to learn his techniques. Walking up the rainy steps to the Met clutching my umbrella I was grinning ear to ear in anticipation!

The exhibit was made up almost entirely of paintings by Sargent of his friends and family. Because they were non-commissioned paintings he was free to experiment and push the more traditional boundaries of portraiture.

My favorite piece was one of the first you saw entering the gallery. “Pailleron Children” is a masterpiece of differing brushstrokes! He used toned canvas and thin paint with just a few of his famous thick strokes to perfectly portray the image. Many of his friends have been quoted recalling him “charging” the canvas with his paintbrush as he added the finishing strokes.

Yes, I may have seen a few guards walking towards me as I leaned in as close as possible to study the finer details of the painting.

So inspiring to discover some of Sargent’s work I had never seen before and have the opportunity to study the paintings in person!

 

Thankfully on our last day the sun came out!

We arrived at Brooklyn Bridge park just in time for a gorgeous sunset view of New York!