John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal by Richard Ormond

John Singer Sargent: Portraits in Charcoal Reviews

• 
  Karen

  For a book about portraits in charcoal, this exhibition catalog is quite glamorous. Sargent is best known for lavish oil portraits of the well-heeled and scenic watercolors executed on European retreats, but the charcoal drawings highlight his genius at capturing subjects' personalities through poses. The art is generously displayed on left-hand pages with accompanying descriptions on the right. It is noted in several places in the book that portraits were often completed in a matter of hours, usually in one sitting. I appreciate the details informing the reader of some subjects' displeasure with the final product; perhaps the renderings hit a little too close to home. Of the 750 charcoal drawings that Sargent executed, 53 are represented in the catalog and were, I think, well chosen. I recommend the book to Sargent devotees (of which I am one), art students, and art fans in general.
• 
  Katharine

  Such a beautiful collection of portraits, I really wish I could have seen in person. But this is next-best! And a nicely presented back story on each portrait, along with an interesting essay on Sargent's life and work.
  
  I think if you are a big fan of Sargent, you would enjoy the collection of portraits at a decent size and decently reproduced, but you may or may not already know the story of Sargent's friendships and travels.
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  Eric Holzman

  The charcoals in this book are stunning. They make me feel like I almost know the subjects. Sargent was a master painter of the highest degree. The quality of the reproductions is excellent; they are sufficiently large and the author, a relative of Sargent, knows his material well and expresses himself clearly and insightfully. After reading this book, I watched one of his lectures on YouTube. The last portrait, of Winston Churchill, includes a memorable quote by Churchill, an amateur painter, about his portrait.
• 
  Elizabeth

  This beautifully produced book accompanies an exhibition by the same name that I was lucky enough to see at the Morgan Library. It features a number of the charcoal portraits with lively descriptions of each of the sitters. Having time to really look at the art is a treat--he is a master who has recently been rediscovered.
• 
  Elizabeth Miller

  Beautiful book with interesting insights into each portrait. I’m sorry to have missed the exhibition.
  
• 
  Rosa King

  “John Singer Sargent, Portraits in Charcoal” is an elegant catalog written by Sargent’s grand-nephew and eminent art historian, Richard Ormond. The book accompanies the exhibition, also curated by Mr. Ormond, of Sargent’s charcoal portraits on display at the Morgan Library in New York. I was fortunate to enjoy the exhibition earlier this month and can revisit the portraits and the biographies of Sargent’s sitters in this beautifully written and designed catalog. I recommend this book for anyone who loves Sargent’s work and wants to learn more about the bold and inimitable charcoal portraits he created later in his prolific career as an artist who was mainly known for his oils and watercolors.