John Singer Sargent, 'Gassed', March 1918
THE ARTIST
John Singer Sargent was an American portrait painter born in 1856. He was considered by many to be the "leading portrait artist of his generation" and achieved international acclaim
for his technical abilities as well as his mastery of oil, watercolor, charcoal and various other mediums.
While being an American, Sargent was born in Florence, Italy, during a visit there by Sargent's parents. Sargent's parents were travellers, using Paris as a home base of sorts, but constantly moving to different locations all over Europe. From a young age, Sargent's parents took young John to museums, churches and other public places to educate the young boy in the ways of culture and society in addition to educating him themselves. This proved an influential experience for young John, who grew up to be a cosmopolitan and intelligent youth despite his lack of formal education.
in 1874, Sargent entered the Ecole de Beaux Arts, the premier art school in France at the time. here he soon became a star student and won the attention and accolades of his instructors and peers alike. soon after finishing school he was showing his works in the Paris Salon, receiving commissions, and enjoying the experience of being one of the most respected and successful modern portrait artists. This period of Sargent's life was not without controversy, however. His 1884 work titled, 'Portrait of Madame X' was met with critical scorn by many in the Paris art world, mainly due to the fact that the subject was considered to be somewhat risque and revealing for the time.
Sargent in his Paris studio with 'Portrait of Madame X'
It was after the Madame X controversy that Sargent decided to move to London, England and continue his work there. Some historians postulate that this was because of the negative reaction to the painting by the Parisian art elite, whom eventually came around and recognized the work as a masterpiece, but not until after Sargent had left for England. Here he continued to work as a commissioned portrait artist over the next several decades. Sargent made a comfortable living, travelling sporadically to various global locations which served him well for inspiration while also making landscape paintings, but always considered London as his home.
Upon returning home to London after a visit to the United States in 1918, the British Ministry of Information commissioned Sargent to create a painting that would be shown in the planned Hall of Remembrance. Sargent was to create a work that depicted the epic-ness of the struggle of the Great War, as well as showing Anglo-American co-operation during the war (Sargent was commissioned partially due to the fact that he was an American).
THE WORK
The resulting work, entitled 'Gassed', was the result of a journey to the Western Front in 1918. Sargent arrived with his associate Henry Tonks to a site near the town of Arras, in which a large offensive had taken place just prior to their arrival. The resultant scene was to affect Sargent profoundly, who described what he saw as 'A harrowing sight'. The Allied lines at Arras had been bombarded by German artillery, with large numbers of shells containing Mustard gas. This weapon was highly feared by both sides of the conflict as being particularly terrifying. The gas caused large, uncomfortable blisters, severe burns to the eyes, lungs and throat, damage to the mucous membranes, and vomiting. Death could occur a few days after exposure, but sometimes victims suffered for weeks before finally expiring. Sargent was privy to a medical assembly area to the rear of the combat line in which scores of men were collected and were led away to be treated.
The painting, which measures 7.5 feet tall by 20 feet long, is impressive in its scale alone; the figures depicted are almost life size. In the foreground, a line of several blindfolded soldiers, all walking in single file while holding onto one another, pick their way through scores of other men in similar dress and bandaging who are laying on the ground. they are led by a medical orderly.
a bit further back, another line of soldiers in a similar situation are seen approaching the viewer. off in the distance, the golden sky is filled with biplanes engaged in a distant dogfight, while amongst the legs of the walking wounded one can see healthy men playing football far from this scene of misery and pain. The entire painting is bathed in a golden glow of wonderful afternoon light, a stark contrast to the horrible scene it illuminates.
MY REACTION TO THE WORK:
I feel as though this painting does justice to the men who were forced to suffer untold hardships during the Great War. In a way it beautifies the subject due to the use of color and tone, but all that does is draw the viewer in and the gravity of the situation sinks in after a few seconds of looking at the piece. This particular work allows us to remember a specific moment that was in all probability repeated throughout the entire European conflict of 1914-1918 but rarely captured in such an arresting manner. It does so in a way that allows us to be transported to the scene, where the aftermath of modern mechanized warfare is just as horrible as the battle itself. these men carried the scars of battle with them in their minds as well as on their bodies, and many did not fully recover. Sargent's painting provides us with a reminder of what these men went through, and that many of them suffered with a stoicism that was depicted so well in his painting. This painting depicts these men as victims, but also immortalizes them with an air of honor in a way that no commendation or medal could surpass.
WORKS CITED:
Harris, James C. MD (January 2005). "Gassed". Art and Images in Psychiatry 62 (1): 15–18. print.
Willsdon, Clare A. P. (2000). Mural painting in Britain 1840–1940: image and meaning (2000 ed.). Oxford University Press. print.
Chenoweth, H. Avery. The Art of War: Eyewitness U.S. Combat Art from the Revolution through the Twentieth Century. New York: Freidman/Fairfax, 2002. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment