Studies for "Heaven" and "Hell"

1903-1916

John Singer Sargent

Associated Names
John Singer Sargent

Artist, American, 1856 - 1925

The image is a charcoal drawing of three male figures, depicted from a top-down perspective, with their upper bodies shown. The men appear to be reclining and intersecting in a circular arrangement, with their arms and legs overlapping one another. Their facial features are visible; they have strong jawlines and closed or averted eyes. The hair of the figures is short and styled close to the head. The figures are shown nude, with emphasis on the contours and musculature of their bodies. They are positioned against a plain background that highlights the form and movement. There is no jewelry or objects present, and the elements focus on the interplay of light and shadow created by the lines. The absence of detailed background allows the viewer to concentrate on the study of human form and posture.

Media Options

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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

1955

  • The Drawings of John Singer Sargent from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Traveling Exhibition Program, 1955-1970

1980

  • The Human Form: Contemporary American Figure Drawing and the Academic Tradition, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1980, no. 22

1983

  • John Singer Sargent: Drawings from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, 1983, p. 65, no. 42, repro

1999

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

2006

  • John Singer Sargent: Portraits and Models, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2006

Bibliography

1967

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

1976

  • Stebbins, Theodore E. American Master Drawings and Watercolors: A History of Works on Paper from Colonial Times to the Present. New York: Harper and Row, 1976, fig. 175.

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. 107, no. 704.

  • 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. 65, no. 42.

Inscriptions

lower right edge in graphite by unknown hand: 2.6.12 A; upper right verso in graphite by unknown hand: S 4.38; lower left verso in graphite by unknown hand: 2.6.12

Watermarks

MICHALLET / FRANCE

Wikidata ID

Q64584014

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