Art Reflection – Sargent John Singer Sargent shared this moment again from his trip to Spain and northern Africa. It stands in nearly complete contrast to his El Jaleo, a moment in Spain from this trip and the subject of my last reflection. This Impressionistic painting done with few details has an “I just woke up,” early morning quality as we …

Art Reflection – Sargent At age 28 John Singer Sargent took a five month trip through Spain and northern Africa. El Jaleo is an instant in the sights and sounds of this trip. The broad meaning of jaleo is ruckus. It is also the name of the Andalusian dance of this vivid scene. El Jaleo was painted from sketches done in 1879 in southern Spain and …

Art Reflection – Sargent John Singer Sargent travelled to the Middle East and did a watercolor series on the Bedouins. Bedouin means desert dweller in Arabic. Bedouins are the semi-nomadic peoples who live primarily in the Middle East and North Africa in arid steppe regions. They live upon the sand. Sargent accomplished a great deal in this small 18” x 12” painting. …

Art Reflection – Sargent This is our third in a series of discussions of the work of American artist, John Singer Sargent. Let’s travel now with 21 year old Sargent to the coast of Brittany where he immortalized this scene for us in 1877. The village of Cancale and this shore are on the west bay of Le Mont-Saint-Michel. This …

Art Reflection – Sargent This is our second work by John Singer Sargent. In it we move to the still life paintings of Sargent, this one done in a hotel in England. It is now in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. This work is done in the Impressionist style with the daffodils painted mainly en mass in joining strokes …

Art Reflection – Sargent John Singer Sargent was an American artist born to expat parents in Florence in 1856. He spent most of his life travelling the world and painting across many genres until his death in London in 1925. John Singer Sargent is credited with 900 oil paintings and 2,000 watercolors. He painted portraits and was considered the leading …

Art Reflection – Van Gogh Les Iris was painted by Vincent van Gogh during his time at the asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence and one year before his death. He said then that painting was the lightning conductor of his illness and as such kept him from going insane. This painting has been in the collection of the Getty Museum since 1990. I …

Art Reflection – Kandinsky Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), a Russian painter, was a major pioneer of abstract art and Tensions Calmees is a work from the height of his influence. In this work both organic and geometric shapes,  Kandinsky’s non-objective style, his belief in color as a stand-alone element, and his inspiration from music are present. Kandinsky wrote, “Colour is the keyboard. The …

Art Reflection – Caillebotte This painting is one of the most famous creations of French Impressionist, Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894). The proper couple in the foreground and the stunning details and colors of the background are all delicately placed in informal balance with a green lamppost holding the center. Our eyes race across this work in several directions as we try …

Art Reflection – Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844-1926) was an American painter who pursued her art career within the objections of her parents who were both in finance. Mary pursued her art career within the prejudice and sexism of the art world of her time. She pursued it within the limitations placed on the education of women at the Pennsylvania …