From Library Journal
Sargent's star is in the ascendancy this year, with a new catalog of the complete paintings soon expected from Yale. In the meantime, this exquisite catalog of 35 paintings chronicles the precocity and rapid maturity evident in the first decade of his career, beginning in 1877, when he initially exhibited in Paris, New York, and London. Lesser-known early portraits, seascapes, and Venetian street scenes are featured alongside such masterpieces as the sensational "Madame X" and "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose." Descriptive catalog entries include excerpts from critical reviews. The accompanying scholarly texts by prominent curators concentrate on Sargent's training at the Atelier Carolus-Duran in Paris and on the early critical response. A detailed exhibition history for the period is also included, but there is no bibliography. On all accounts a solid addition to academic and museum collections.?Russell T. Clement, Univ. of Tennessee Lib., KnoxvilleCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
By the time John Singer Sargent turned thirty in 1886, he already commanded an international reputation in the art world, creating a stream of works for exhibition that people eagerly awaited and discussed at length. Henry James noted that Sargent`s talent offered "the slightly `uncanny` spectacle" of an artist on the threshold of his career who in fact had nothing more to learn. This book explores how the young American painter in just over a decade jumped from apprenticeship to wide acclaim, how he presented himself and his works, and how he sought to shape public perception of his talent.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This book explores how the young American painter in just over a decade jumped from apprenticeship to wide acclaim, how he presented himself and his works, and how he sought to shape public perception of his talent. The book includes illustrations of almost every painting Sargent exhibited in Paris, London, and New York through 1887. Drawing on the correspondence of the artist, his friends, and his family, as well as an extensive review of contemporary critical responses, the text examines these works of Sargent's early maturity - some not exhibited in this century and others among his best-known work, including Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose and Madame X. The authors contend the canvases present a fresh view of Sargent's aspirations and ambitions, representing a metaphoric self-portrait of the artist as a young man. The early paintings, their relationship to one another, and their reception also shed light on the complex, cosmopolitan art world in which Sargent lived.

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