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| Studies for "Achiles and Chiron" by John Singer Sargent |
I’ve always admired the artist John Singer Sargent. In particular I enjoy his two murals located in Boston, one at the public library and the other at the museum. Recently, I had a few hours to tour the Museum of Fine Arts and I headed to the grand rotunda to view Sargent’s several panel cycle of Greek myths that celebrate, among other things, the human body in movement.
The museum has undergone a major renovation and there have been curatorial changes throughout the museum. A nice change was the room beneath the grand rotunda which was recently hung with some of Sargent’s preparatory studies for his mural. This room is uniquely designed to house such an exhibition as it has a giant oculus in its ceiling and allows visitors to view the central portion of the mural above. Along the walls of this room are about a dozen sketches in both charcoal and oil paint.
The charcoal studies are mainly of single figures kneeling, reaching, or stretching heavenward. Sargent showing his mastery of human form filled the sheets with additional studies of arms, legs and feet. A great surprise to see was a full value tonal study for “Chiron and Achilles” which appears in the upper corner of a sheet of hand studies.
The oil studies are elegantly painted. Though they are done with bold strokes that block out the major structures of the figures they are restrained by a red contour. This contour enables the viewers to clearly read the shapes of the forms at a distance. I assume the red color keeps the contour light and allows for increased visibility at great distances.
It is rare to view both the completed work and the sketches more or less side by side and it is worth taking a visit. The MFA has a wonderful online database that one may access for free. Typing in “Sargent” will allow you to view 10 pages of sketches, a few of which were on view. Here’s the link: www.mfa.org/search/collections?keyword=sargent