Study for "Hell"

1903-1916

John Singer Sargent

Associated Names
John Singer Sargent

Artist, American, 1856 - 1925

The image is a pencil sketch of a male figure in a kneeling position. The upper part of his body is shown, with his head resting on his forearm. His muscular arms are bent at the elbows, with one hand touching the ground. The face is partially turned towards the viewer. The hair is not detailed. The subject is nude, and the focus is on the muscular definition and contour of his body. There is no jewelry present. The background is a blank, neutral space that emphasizes the figure's form and the shadows created by the shading in the sketch.

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

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

2009

  • John Singer Sargent in the Corcoran Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2009-2010

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. 107, no. 706.

  • 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. 66, no. 44.

1999

  • Esten, John. John Singer Sargent: The Male Nudes. New York: Universe, 1999, p. 47.

Inscriptions

lower left in graphite by unknown hand: 4.17; lower right in graphite by unknown hand: 17.2.4.; upper left verso in graphite by unknown hand: 17.2.4; upper right verso in graphite by unknown hand: S.4.17; lower left verso in graphite by unknown hand: 17.2.4

Watermarks

MICHALLET / FRANCE

Wikidata ID

Q64584102

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