The sun., 1912-07-21

ou D1nt At the Luxembourg, or the
Lady With the Dog" at the Museum os
Li'le but In addition to this and almost
alone among the artists Of Paris he taught
painting to his pupils. The basis Of in
struction was not an infinitely elaborated
charcoal drawing OF the nude figure. but
head blocked in with paint. the great
construction planes kept simple. their
edges meeting in harsh. straight lines
in the work of the beginners. but the
paint laid on thickly and all the attention
concentrated on getting the Just relations
Of mass. tbnePand color. Not until this
had been done were the pupils permitted
to soften the edges and elaborate details
| Sargeant thoroughly gained the feeling
for this underlying construction in form
and tone. 1t In the framework unseen
but all rcrvasive on which his pictures
are built. and differentiates them abso-
lutely from the most skilful OF his imita-
tors. To this must be added his ease In
the mechanical manipulation of paint.
which would be encouraged and devel loped
by the teaching and example of Carolus.
To spread great surfaces Of the pure clean
color; 70 touch on them lights and shades
and details with flowing brush. but 30
/
clear on the wet underpaintinG; to invent
strange and apparently accidental turns
cf the brush that give effects with an
accuracy beyond the reach Of the most
! rerevering labor all ths is Of his
nature.
/ The teholder stands in delighted bc-
wilicrrnent before a juggler more mysti-
Tying than any that India or Japan has
produced. To other painters such dex-
'eritv has come. If at all. after long labor.
but it was Sargeant's from the first. His
! portrait Of Carolus Duran. with which he
Iradc his debut wae hailed as a MASTER
piece Of cleverness. and so it was: but
alongside Of .1hc Girl With Rose
! that followed It. seemed labored and aca-
dcmic--as IL he had been hampered
by his masters presence.
/ n is the only one OF his works that
looks as IL it Nigh. have been done bit
/ by bit and worked over: his other can
vases have the air Of absolute spontaneity
There il no underpainting. overpainting
, or glazing. there is no heavy body color;
the paint, made fluid with oil and tur-
/ pen,ine. is brushed in exactly as It should
he ard left. A head is ordinarily finished
in single sitting. for the purity Of the tone
must not be Impaired by alterations or
rcworking.
! What desperate hard work. what
struggles constantly renewed the
artist has gone through that he might
paint with case he alone knows. Tradi-
tions tell of heads painted and scrared
ont thirty or forty fires, Of portraits
that required endless sittings: but in the
end they had the lightness and swiftness
Of n sketch. In -El Jaleo." one Of his
earliest pictures. as well as in other Span
ish dsncers or in the study OF an Egyptian
girl from the back with the body twisted
into profile. what with raost men would
have le"n mere thumb nail sketches be-
came life size pictures.
But tho power is more important when
it is less obvious. when it catches the
passing expression on face or the natur-
clness of a gesture before It re!apses into
tho riror nf n set pose. Take the Girl
With Rose" Just mentioned. the arm Is
n right angles to the body--a position
TIA. couli not hc hold a moment without
fatigue, ''it no suggest on OF fatigue
comes to the spectator. because he recor-
nizcs that the pose ia but momen.ary.
that it has just been taken, that the hand
VIII De urtWn ftck at once. Almost All
OF his portraits show somewhere the
same effect in the turn OF the head. the
nervous twisting Of hands or the flow
OF scarr-and i, holps TO give them
wonderful vitality.
Another resul. of the direct fluent
painting is the purity and brilliancy of
the color. Softness. o sort Of indwelling
glow. nay be obtained by glazing and
manipulation. but nothing else is as
brig n ds pure color laid on q ciean canvas
AID left urmolested. It WIS. as has been
So id, time Of examination and expert
mental ion In co!ors. Of elaborate investi-
CATION and discrimination Of all varieties
of lights and shadows. Of tones and half
tones and reflected lights. II tended
after all to subtlety rather tnnn strength.