Sublime Superb Sargent

If there is one art exhibition you have to currently see in the DC area, then it is "Sargent in Spain" at the National Gallery of Art. This exhibition is not only a good show, it is beyond excellent! A+ all the way. NGA is known to curate and provide exquisite art shows, and this one is something out of this world! If you are an art lover especially of the painting medium then run don't walk to this exhibit.

A visual feast of colors, brush strokes, portraits, seascapes, landscapes, still-life, figurative work - everything under the sun in the visual art genre. John Singer Sargent (January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an expatriate American artist who mainly lived all of his life in Europe. Sargent was considered one of the best portrait painters in his time depicting Edwardian era luxury. He was a prolific artist who painted almost all of the time creating around 900 oil paintings, 2,000 watercolors, and many charcoal drawings. Sargent, An American born in Florence in 1856 had studied painting in Italy and France. Some of his portraits were considered scandalous and even provocative for the conservative Edwardian age such as his painting titled " Madame X " of Madame Gautreau which caused quite an uproar at the Paris salon in 1884. One can argue though that a painting of such an openness and rousing had propelled the artist's name to recognition and even fame.

As a painter and an art educator, I've been covering Sargent in my presentations especially in my Watercolor painting art classes. We've been looking at his exquisite watercolors for years and admiring his skills and talent especially in his rendering of his beautiful landscapes that capture nature like no other. Sargent had dedicated his life to the craft of painting. He traveled around to experience each place he wanted to paint and immortalized what he saw in his artwork. His work truthfully depicts and relays his experience and what he lived through. His flawless paintings are very well executed and delivered to us through his masterful brush strokes. Mixed media watercolor paintings of pomegranates and gourds remind me of the themes I cover in my art classes. Even my students have remarked how bizarre it is to see this current exhibition in regards to topics that we have painted and drawn in my classes at an earlier time. In such, I only can say that great minds think alike, or should I say serious artists who see beauty in the everyday subjects bring attention to topics that can be labeled as mundane, yet in art transform into brilliant visuals.

Beyond paintings of fruitful trees, the exhibit showcases a huge number of oil paintings, pencil sketches in charcoal and graphite, and watercolors. All super good! All super pleasing to the eyes and all flawless in their execution. The watercolors though have earned my heart, the transparency of Sargent's work along with the lightness of the medium all come together to create gardens and fields of absolute beauty. One can literally call his watercolors gems, the best of the best of watercolors. As a painting teacher and watercolor educator, I thoroughly recommend for art lovers to see Sargent's exhibit and to look carefully at how his natural talent along with skill interplay especially with this medium. Light, airy, atmospheric, elegant, capturing the sun of Majorca and the villages of Spain - Sargent is like no other. A must see exhibit that will capture not only your eyes, but your heart and mind. The exhibition is ongoing at NGA's West Building till Jan 2, 2023.

To learn more about noted artist, Vian Borchert, visit: www.vianborchert.com