Tag: john singer sargent

John Singer Sargent’s Studio

John Singer Sargent, 1885

Photograph of John Singer Sargent in his Paris studio circa 1885. Photographer unknown via the Smithsonian Institution photostream on flickr. Note the large dog portrait in the upper left hand corner.

I wonder if this is where he seduced Louise Burckhardt (or she seduced him)…

Louise Burckhardt, Lady With The Rose, by Sargent, 1882

…and also painted Louise's dog, Pointy. IMO, one of the greatest dog art works of all time…

Pointy by John Singer Sargent, early 1880's

Read more about the bittersweet love story here. Pointy is also one of the stars in my short film, Dogs in Art.

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March 4, 2009
Adrianna Button at The Dog Show

English Bull Dog

Charlotte, NC artist Adrianna Button’s works will be featured tomorrow night at Green Rice Gallery’s exhibition, The Dog Show. Three of her magnificent oil painting will be on display alongside 11 other dog artists (including Brian Rubenacker whom I featured here back in May).

While Adrianna refers to her paintings as Contemporary, I am struck how much they remind me of late19th/early 20th century artist John Singer Sargent’s work…well, specifically one of his pieces. Her brush strokes and energy capture the same essence I see in Sargent’s Pointy, one of my all time favorite dog paintings.

Adrianna studied painting as a girl alongside her artist father, and says, “My undergraduate work painting and illustration was spent exploring figures in all types of mixed media, but my love of dogs has captured my creative spirit.” Maybe it’s the spirit of love that ties Sargent and Button together. Pointy was painted for a woman Sargent was enamored with and Button’s dogs glow with a women who’s found a subject she is enamored with. Or maybe Button is simply a super-talented artist in the classic oil on canvas tradition and Sargent was way ahead of his time.

Regardless, I would love to see her paintings up close and really experience them. If you’re in the Charlotte area, you get the chance to do so tomorrow night at Green Rice Gallery. Sounds like a great night!

Golden Retriever

Black Lab

Italian Greyhound

Goldendoodle

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Information:

The Dog Show
Opening Reception: July 18, 2008
Time: 7–9 pm

Green Rice Gallery
451 East 36th St.
Charlotte, NC 28205
704-344-0300

Show runs until August 31, 2008

For more information about Adrianna Button or to commission a portrait of your pet visit her website Year of the Dog.

July 17, 2008
Surprising Results at Christie’s Dog Sale

Edwin Landseer’s high profile Neptune estimated to sell for between $800,000 – 1.2 million did not find a buyer at Christie’s Dog Sale today. Richard Ansdell’s Two King Charles Spaniels, and Aurthur Wardle’s Bulldogs of the Twentieth Century remained unsold as well.

But John Singer Sargent’s Pointy was a star, selling for $432,000, well above the $60,000 – $80,000 asking price! Jean-Léon Gérôme’s, Etude de Chien d Terra-Nuova, the gorgeous Newfoundland portrait, also exceeded expectations, selling for $204,000, above the $120,000 – $180,000 estimates.

And a big surprise was Thomas Blinks’s Waiting for the Guns (above), which was estimated to sell for $200,000 – $300,000. And it went for $564,000! This is a World Auction Record for the artist, doubling his previous record.

Overall, Clare McKeon, VP, British & Irish Art, is said to have been pleased with Christie’s inaugural Dog Sale which saw strong bidding from American private clients and broke World Auction Records for the artists Thomas Blinks, Thomas Hewes Hinckley and Niki de Saint Phalle (see next post below).

June 22, 2007
Christie’s Dog Sale Spotlight: John Singer Sargent’s Pointy

I’m still going through all 96 lots at Christie's, but today’s favorite dog painting at auction this Friday is Pointy by John Singer Sargent. I love that the celebrated portrait artist deigned to paint a pet, and the thick, almost graffiti-like inscription gives it such a contemporary feel.

There is also a bittersweet love story behind this work. Pointy was the pet of ex-pat socialite Louise Burckhardt with whom Sargent had an affair in the early 1880s. (The Pointy painting was a gift to her.) There was even talk of an engagement, but Louise would marry Roger Ackerley in 1889 and die shortly thereafter.

Sargent’s 1882 portrait of Louise, Lady With The Rose, (above) was a sensation at the Paris Salon and added immeasurably to his reputation… and, I’m sure, his love life.

June 19, 2007