Project: John Singer Sargent's Clouds

Gio's Clouds

Kids love cutting and pasting. Eamon especially is crazy about wielding a pair of scissors. So I try to find a lot of projects that involve both of these activities. John Singer Sargent's Clouds is a perfect painting to emulate in collage. It's a simple composition with many layers. 

Living in John Singer Sargent's Clouds

Living in John Singer Sargent's Clouds by ninamleung featuring iron outdoor patio furniture

Iron patio furniture / Iron outdoor patio furniture / Outside garden decor / White outdoor / Tommy Bahama outside garden decor / Outdoor garden decor / Serveware / Ariana Teak Round Bowls Set of 4 / Rope Handle Hurricane / Amazon.com : DMI Sports Champion 6-Player Croquet Set Mallet and...

Playing and eating outdoors in the English Countryside on a warm summer day. Doesn't that sound heavenly? 

Travelling in John Singer Sargent's Clouds

If John Singer Sargent's Clouds painting were a place, it would be......

the English Countryside!

Can't you just see the painter here at this house? It's so perfectly English, with it's wild garden and stone facade. The English countryside is so inspiring with it's old traditions, romantic literature, beautiful gardens, and all-encompassing views. The gardens alone are enough to inspire. 

John Singer Sargent's Clouds

Ipad rendering of Sargent's Clouds

I always thought John Singer Sargent was British, but he's actually an American born in Florence, Italy. His parents were wealthy ex-pats travelling and living all over Europe. Sargent's childhood was full of art, culture, and constant new experiences. He new from an early age that he wanted to be an artist and chose to follow and study under one of the more controversial of the age, Carolus- Duran who believed in creating portraits without sketching first and just painting directly on the canvas when the paint is fresh. This style of painting was very different from the prevailing, studied, formal portraiture that was popular at the time.

Sargent followed this technique for the rest of his career, making beautiful, fresh, paintings in a unique style all his own. Later in his career, he worked exclusively in watercolors. The painting I've chosen for this week is one of those. It makes sense that he turned to watercolor as it's a medium that requires a quick hand and can quickly and easily go wrong. The naturalness of Sargent's technique works beautifully in watercolor.