Melvyn Bragg Last night I watched the opening episode of Melvyn Bragg’s documentary on Class and Culture. It examined the years from the coronation of George V to the end of the second world war. It examined how the various classes differed and interacted with each other, in particular at the front lines during the […]
John Singer Sargent Head of an Arab is my study of John Singer Sargent’s oil sketch. He would have painted around 1890-91 when he toured Egypt, Greece and Turkey. It was probably painted abroad, however, he may well have painted it from a model when he returned to London. Sargent was commissioned by the Trustees […]
Sketchbook Tips TIP 11. Studying the work of other artists is a great way to improve your artistic skills. However there are a number of different levels of study that one can tackle. I’ve recently purchased several books about the American artist John Singer Sargent which I have studying. My initial approach is to quickly […]
John Singer Sargent One of my favourite artists of all time is the American John Singer Sargent. He’s one of the finest portrait painters of all time. Sargent trained under Carolus-Duran in Paris. One of the disciplines that Sargent practised to develop his craft was to make careful studies of the old masters whom he […]
Academia Bridge The view from the Academia Bridge of the Santa Maria della Salute and the Grand Canal is probably the definitive view of Venice. In 1630 Venice experienced a devastating outbreak of the plague. The Republic of Venice vowed to build a church to be dedicated to Our Lady of Health. A student of Andre […]
Museo Correr In May 2007 I spent several days painting in Venice. I was fortunate enough to take in a superb exhibition of paintings of Venice by one of my favourite artists John Singer Sargent. The exhibition was held at the Museo Correr in St Mark’s Square. John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) is said to […]
Tip 4 Limited Palette Why don’t you try Drawing with a brush and paint with one colour or a limited palette instead of using a pencil. You will achieve a quality of line that will vary in thickness. This will make your brush strokes look far more interesting. You will also become more confident about […]