all photos: Chris Svetlik
all words: Svetlana
"Sargent and the Sea", a beautiful new show focusing on (you guessed it) John Singer Sargent's seascape paintings is opening to the public tomorrow @ The Corcoran. The Gallery kindly invited us to attend the press preview and being in posession of time, energy and desire to both see it and listen about it, Chris and I braved the Wednesday rain and went.
The best thing about the press previews at the major galleries is that you get to hear some wonderful and wonderfully knowledgeable people speak, sending you back to that art appreciation class in college you enjoyed so much and their enthusiasm about the work they just spent (probably months, if not years) assembling inevitably rubs off.
All the works shown were created by Sargent at the very young age between 18 and 22, which, as it was pointed out, is the same age many Corcoran students are today, so it is fascinating to see this talent at its initial stages and still exhibiting such maturity and assurance even as the techniques and sketching skills were still developing (the exhibit also includes some lovely sketchbook excerpts and process studies that show how many of the works in the show came to be what we know and love today.)
The show was built around En Route pour la pêche (Setting Out to Fish) which is featured prominently in the exhibit (along with a long lost Sargent painting curator Sarah Cash discovered during her recent research) and flows seemlessly from Sargent's early summer days spent in Normandy and Brittany to his more vibrant, free times in Capri, and also includes and "Inspiration room" where visitors are encouraged to read and skecth the maritime motifs themselves and is overall a beautiful and welcome change from the gloomy weather we're seeing outside these days.
Go look at this. Thank us later
the show is open till January 3rd when it will go to Houston and later on to Paris. all details can be found here
God loves a cheerful giver.
Excellent! Especially excited that there doesn't seem to be too many portraits (?). I always preferred the pastoral/nautical/natural depictions that he did.
don't they know that there is so much alumni and other talents out there that can inject a new fresh vision to that ancient institution. i'm not a hater just tired of museums(especially one associated with a contemporary art school) rehashing old ideas. THERE IS A NEW CURRENT IN ART!!!!! GET WITH IT CORCORAN was there too much eggleston and maya lin in one year? Is this a balancing act. COME ON DC LETS DO THIS! LET'S HAVE CONCEPTUAL INTELLECTUAL WORK THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO STIMULATE THE FANTASY/APARTMENT DECOR IN US. WE LIVE AND CREATE IN THE NATIONS CAPITAL LETS DISCUSS AND CREATE FROM THE POWER HOUSE POSITION WE ARE IN!
The art establishment won't allow this.