One of America’s best-known artists, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was born in Florence, Italy. His father was an eye surgeon, and his mother was an amateur artist. They moved permanently to Europe in 1854. Consequently, John traveled all over Europe as a child. He was well educated and spoke English, French, Italian, and German. His mother gave him a sketch book. He trained for a brief time at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and in 1874 at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris. The American Impressionist J. Alden Weir (1852-1919), who also was studying there at the time, described Sargent as “one of the most talented fellows I have ever come across; his drawings are like the old masters, and his color is equally fine.” Sargent met Degas, Monet, Rodin, and Whistler, and wealthy Americans and Europeans whose portraits he painted. Whistler and Sargent shared the same social circle. By the end of his career, Sargent had painted about 900 oils and over 2000 watercolors. He also made many sketches and charcoal drawings.
Sargent first traveled to Venice as a child in May 1870. He returned in 1880 and again in 1882. One of his early Venetian oils is Street in Venice (1882) (oil) (27”x21’’) (NGA). The style is typical of his early work, but it is not his usual elegant portrait. The young woman walks alone down the Larga dei Proverbi. Nearby, two male figures, wearing dark clothing, seem to be conversing, but one definitely stares at her. Ignoring them, she walks fast, her skirt hem and shawl flowing with her movement. The couple seated at the outdoor table pay no attention to her. Sargent’s portrayal of the scene is unusual. He was private, extremely polite, and a gentleman. Art historians have discussed Sargent’s portrayal of the “male gaze” in the scene. He was 26 years old when he painted this piece. That might explain it.
The paved street and buildings in the background of the work are composed of squares and rectangles, and they are painted in gray tones.
Sargent, unlike many of his American contemporaries, returned to Venice almost every year from 1898 until 1913. On an earlier visit in 1874 he remarked, “I have learned in Venice to admire Tintoretto immensely and to consider him perhaps second only to Michelangelo and Titian.” When he returned to Venice, he painted Hall of the Grand Council, Doges Palace, Venice (1898) (oil) (20”x28”). It is a very small and extremely detailed oil painting of the very large hall that contained Tintoretto’s Paradise (1588-92) (80 feet wide x 32.5 feet tall).
Having been in the hall several times, and then recently discovering the Sargent painting, this writer was astonished. Sargent was considered the premier portrait artist of his time, but this small oil shows how incredibly talented he was when it is compared with the photograph of Hall of the Grand Council in the Doges Palace.
Sargent rented a studio in London (1885-86), formerly rented by Whistler. In 1900 Sargent purchased it and the neighboring space to serve as his studio and residence. He worked and lived there until his death. He stopped accepting portrait commissions in 1907 in favor of landscape and mural painting. One major influence was Monet. They had met in 1885 at the Second Impressionist exhibition. Sargent approached Monet, invited him to dinner, and a life-long friendship began. Sargent started painting en plein air, with the Impressionist freedom in using sunlight colors, and his facility in watercolor gave his art a new purpose. When he returned to Venice every year from 1898 to 1913, he mostly painted watercolors, some charcoal sketches, but always while he sat in a gondola.
Sargent’s The Façade of La Salute, Venice (1903) (watercolor) (15’’x21”) is his depiction of the subject that all American artists painted when they traveled to Venice. It is one of the iconic landmarks on the Grand Canal. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary after a devastating plague in 1630. Baldassare Longhena (1598-1682) designed the octagonal building, a reference to the chalice, as a tribute to Mary. The tall columns, sculptural niches, and tall front door are portrayed with well-placed brush strokes of browns and grays. The blue color of the canal is used to create the shadow in the doorway. Sargent’s sparing use of a limited palette of browns, blues, and gray washes is most effective.
Painting close-up from the gondola, Sargent was able to delineate the height and size of the church by drawing gondoliers and other people in correct proportion. From his position on the canal, he could not see the two domes and bell towers of the church.
Sargent often painted several views of his favorite subjects on his yearly visits to Venice. A year later, in a gondola, he painted Santa Maria Della Salute (1904) (watercolor) (18”x23’’) again. Unlike his good friend Monet, he did not attempt to portray the variation of light at different times of the day. He just liked the subject. Monet and his wife Alice Hoschede went to Venice only once, in October 1908. He was 67, and they stayed for two months and succumbed to the charms of Venice as everyone did. Monet made 37 paintings.
Sargent debuted his watercolors in 1909 at an exhibit at the M. Knoedler & Company Gallery in New York City. The exhibition was a success, and the entire exhibit of 86 watercolors was purchased by the Brooklyn Museum. The Gallery produced a second exhibition in 1912 of 45-50 Sargent watercolors of Venice and other Italian locations. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts purchased all of them before the opening of the exhibit.
The Piazetta with Gondolas (1911) (watercolor) (16”x20’’) is an example of the range of Sargent’s style. Some of his watercolors were mere sketches, others were more detailed, but always with a looseness of brushwork and a brilliance of color. The image of the entrance to St Mark’s Square is crowded with colorfully suggested people. The water ripples and is reflected on the hulls of the gondolas. The bell tower, an exact reconstruction of the original one, is at 323 feet the tallest structure in Venice. In one of the few times Sargent painted it, the façade of the Basilica of St Mark’s and the dome can be seen.
Sargent painted Corner of the Church of San Stae, Venice (1913) (watercolor) (28”x22’’) during his last trip to Venice. The church, dedicated to St Eustachius, is on the Grand Canal. Sargent’s exceptional watercolor technique is clearly evident. When the painting was auctioned in November 2025, it sold for 7.39 million dollars.
San Geremia, Venice (1913) (oil) (22”x28”) is thought to be Sargent’s last work in Venice. It is an oil painting, unusual for him at the time. Also unusual is the panorama view. His oil technique was much like his use of watercolors. The colors are intense, and the buildings are clothed in dramatic light and shadow. Sargent included more specific architectural details, but they were painted with his characteristic use of suggestive brush strokes. Amazing.
