negativespace
February 22nd, 2003, 08:54 PM
I read this thread on Sijun forums posted by Lunatique. You didn't happen to be at the Sargent show this month have you? You can read the full tread at Sijuns. I posted the thread here edited:
Here’s my little report on my trip to the Sargent show.
The L.A. Sargent show was a lot smaller than the Seattle show in 2001. Majority of the pieces were landscapes and figures, with only a handful of portraits. There were also quite a bit of overlap with the Seattle show. I thought I would be disappointed, since I have a preference for portraits, and wanted to see nothing but pieces I’ve never seen in person, but I was floored by some of the landscapes with majestic rock formations. Man, reproductions in the art books look NOTHING like the originals. The choice of colors and the compositions were just breathtaking. The most amazing things about seeing Sargent’s works in person are the choice of colors, the composition, the values, and bold brush work in the most unlikely places, yet does the job perfectly with the minimum amount of required detail. The man really knew his stuff—and presented the world filtered through his technical excellence and supreme confidence that few matched.
When Jucas and I were discussing a piece with golden sunlight on the rocks and the water, with the cool blue shadows reflecting the sky, and how the key and contrast fades in the background, this guy jumped in front of us, and totally got in our faces. He interrogated us, asking, “WHAT is the complimentary of blue??”
Jucas and I looked at each other, and I said, “err….yellowish, reddish…” and when I was about to say orange, the guy snapped and yelled “ORANGE!! Orange! Orange!!” while snapping his fingers to each word. He then yelled “This piece is a study in complimentry colors!!” He looked at us with disgust, and then stormed off, as if Jucas and I were unworthy to be at a Sargent show. We just looked at each other, and Jucas said quietly, “Do you think maybe that was Jason Manley?”
Here’s my little report on my trip to the Sargent show.
The L.A. Sargent show was a lot smaller than the Seattle show in 2001. Majority of the pieces were landscapes and figures, with only a handful of portraits. There were also quite a bit of overlap with the Seattle show. I thought I would be disappointed, since I have a preference for portraits, and wanted to see nothing but pieces I’ve never seen in person, but I was floored by some of the landscapes with majestic rock formations. Man, reproductions in the art books look NOTHING like the originals. The choice of colors and the compositions were just breathtaking. The most amazing things about seeing Sargent’s works in person are the choice of colors, the composition, the values, and bold brush work in the most unlikely places, yet does the job perfectly with the minimum amount of required detail. The man really knew his stuff—and presented the world filtered through his technical excellence and supreme confidence that few matched.
When Jucas and I were discussing a piece with golden sunlight on the rocks and the water, with the cool blue shadows reflecting the sky, and how the key and contrast fades in the background, this guy jumped in front of us, and totally got in our faces. He interrogated us, asking, “WHAT is the complimentary of blue??”
Jucas and I looked at each other, and I said, “err….yellowish, reddish…” and when I was about to say orange, the guy snapped and yelled “ORANGE!! Orange! Orange!!” while snapping his fingers to each word. He then yelled “This piece is a study in complimentry colors!!” He looked at us with disgust, and then stormed off, as if Jucas and I were unworthy to be at a Sargent show. We just looked at each other, and Jucas said quietly, “Do you think maybe that was Jason Manley?”