Studies for "Gassed"

1918-1919

John Singer Sargent

Associated Names
John Singer Sargent

Artist, American, 1856 - 1925

This is a collection of pencil sketches showing multiple views of soldiers and their features. The sketches do not capture full bodies; rather, they focus on either heads or partial figures. Several drawings portray the subjects as lying down, with different angles showing them in a side-lying position. The faces of these individuals are detailed, showing varied expressions, some with their eyes closed. The hair of each person is depicted with varying lengths, with several sketches featuring close-cropped styles. Clothing is not prominently featured except for a depiction of a uniform jacket and a military helmet in some sketches. A few of the figures have blindfolds. The background of the sketch is plain, with no additional objects or scenery, allowing emphasis on the depicted figures.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Miss Emily Sargent and Mrs. Violet Sargent Ormond (sisters of the artist), Surrey, England; National Gallery (now known as the Smithsonian American Art Museum), Washington, DC, 1929, left in storage at the Corcoran Gallery of Art; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1949; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1928

  • Exhibition of Drawings by John Singer Sargent, Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, 1928

1986

  • John Singer Sargent, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1986-1987; Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, 1987

1999

  • "Sketch Everything and Keep Your Curiosity Fresh": Sargent Drawings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1999

Bibliography

1967

  • Gross, Ellen, and James Harithas. Drawings by John Singer Sargent in the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Alhambra, California: Borden, 1967.

1983

  • Simmons, Linda Crocker and with the assistance of Adrianne J. Humphrey, et al. American Drawings, Watercolors, Pastels, and Collages in the Collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1983: p. 115, no. 760.

  • Nygren, Edward J. John Singer Sargent: Drawings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1983, p. 111, no. 98.

1989

  • Updike, John. Just Looking—Essays on Art. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1989, p. 62.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite by unknown hand: J.S.309.

Watermarks

MICHALLET / FRANCE

Wikidata ID

Q64584109

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