The hands of John Singer Sargent

So... John Singer Sargent is my favorite painter, of all time. I have probably only mentioned it 1,000 times on this blog! He was an amazing draftsman. He had a rare ability to capture color and light. Even the greatest artists throughout history have a few bad pieces, but it seems as though everything Sargent touched ended up to be a success.

One aspect of Sargent's work that I really love is how he paints hands. Many artists are shy about drawing, painting, and sculpting hands. 

But hands are usually my favorite part of a piece of figurative art.

I enjoy studying Sargent's paintings. It is important to study and practice your craft. And studying his sketches is an awesome way to look at the notes left from a master's problem solving. 

One of the most amazing and frustrating things about Sargent is his ability to accurately capture shape with loose gestural brushstrokes. The painting seems so effortless. Yet, each line is intentional. There is nothing careless about it.

Really... is there anything better, in the whole world?

Another Favorite

Sydney Laurence's oil paintings are some of my all time favorites. He was an American artist whose most notable work was created in the early 1900s. Laurence was classically trained in New York at the Art Students League of New York. He later moved to Alaska where he would live and work until his death in 1940. 

These Alaskan landscapes are amazing. It is easy to see why many people love his work so much! 

Early Anchorage, Alaskan Salmon Cannery

oil on canvas 

Fishing Vessel at Sea

oil on board

Mount McKinley (1921)

oil on canvas

To learn more about Sydney Laurence visit here:

SYDNEY LAURENCE

ARTFIELDS

I recently had work accepted to Artfields in Lake City SC. This art festival had local businesses, municipal buildings, and parks serve as venues for artists in 12 Southeastern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia & West Virginia) to display their work and compete for $100,000 in cash prizes. I was honored to be selected from nearly 800 artists.

This is the piece that was selected.

Big Rob

Oil on canvas

60"x40"

My uncle, Martin Pate, was also selected. This is his painting.

Fallen

Oil on canvas

Some inspiration at Brookgreen

Not too long ago my Dad and I took a little trip down to the coast. While there we decided to take a day and walk through Brookgreen Gardens. In case you don't know about this place, Brookgreen is in Litchfield Beach, SC. 

If you have driven down US17, you have probably seen this...

These fighting stallions, at the entrance, were sculpted by Anna Hyatt Huntington.

Originally the land was used as rice plantations. Then it was purchased by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington to be used as a garden and to showcase her sculptures. There are now over 1400 pieces of sculpture, from Huntington and others. Oh yeah, and its the largest outdoor sculpture gallery....IN THE WORLD!

I could honestly spend weeks there. Here are some of the sculptures that were so inspiring to me.

 Does this one look familiar?

This piece is definitely one of my favorites! Note the awesome hands and feet. My fellow artists will join me in recognizing the difficulty in drawing/painting/sculpting hands and feet.

More Favorites

The Swedish painter, Anders Zorn, and  Danish painter, P.S. Krøyer, are two more artists that I love. The dynamic light and color used in their paintings is so inspiring to me. Here are some of my favorite works from these two masters.

"Hip Hip Hurrah!"  P.S. Krøyer. My dad often references the woman in the white dress from this painting when discussing appropriate color usage for white cloth. 

"The Waltz"Anders Zorn. This masterpiece is one of my all time favorites. I LOVE this painting. "The Waltz" can be viewed at the historic Biltmore Estate in Asheville North Carolina. The painting is great in a book or on your computer screen, but to see it in person is truly amazing.

I have always enjoyed reading about Kroyer and Zorn, but have recently become reinvested in studying their works. Both men painted during the industrial revolution at the turn of the 20th century. Because I am currently working on some paintings of industry and machinery, I have needed to explore paintings involving this subject matter.

Here are two examples of paintings inspired by industry

"Fra Burmeister & Wains Jernstøberi" P.S. Krøyer

"Baking the Bread" Anders Zorn

Forest Idyll

As I have mentioned before, my dad is also an artist. Having artistic parents gave me the courage to choose a career in fine arts. My dad's work is displayed all over the south east, but the pieces that I am the most familiar with were, of course, in my parents house. 

This is a painting Dad did of a sculpture in Brookgreen Gardens. I do not know if this piece was painted specifically for my mom or if she just claimed it for herself. All of the women in our family have a habit of "borrowing" paintings only to have them remain permanently on the walls in their home.

Inspiration is often transferred from one artist to another. My dad was inspired by this sculpture by Albin Polasek as well as the beautiful surroundings of the gardens. His inspiration then fed into mine. So, in honor of Albin Polasek and Charlie Pate Sr. I present my version of "Forest Idyll".

Two of my Favorites

There are some works of art that I have always loved from the art books around my house or at the library. But there is a list of my favorites that I have been able to experience in person, that are truly too amazing for a book. 

Here are two paintings that I have seen in real life. These two were already some of my favorite pieces of art and seeing them up-close and in person was an awesome event.

The Daughters of Edward D. Boit, John Singer Sargent. 1879.

This monstrous oil painting is 87.6"x87.6"!!! I saw this painting at the MFA in Boston. After Sargent exhibited a portrait of his mentor Carolus-Duran in the Parisian Salon in 1879 he was commissioned to paint several more portraits. The Daughters of Edward D. Boit was one of these first commissions. 

Floor Scrapers, Gustave Caillebotte. 1875

I love this painting! I'm drawn in by the contrast between the natural lighting from the doorway that reflects off the the wood floor and the workers' skin in an otherwise dark room. I was able to view this painting at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. I loved it. But... this painting was not well received by the public in 1875. Art critics were still looking for paintings of the human form to mimic those of Greek and Roman art. The skinny bodies of these blue collar workers would have been considered off-putting.

The Mutual Respect Society

One reason I started this blog is to inform everyone about my favorite artists and artworks. Some of these are famous artists and some are friends and colleagues of mine. For the first installment of The Mutual Respect Society I have decided to write about my uncle Marty.

Marty is the man! He lives and works in GA, though he is represented by galleries all over. Marty paints portraits, landscapes, and representations of different historical events. Check out his stuff. Here are some of my favorites.