John Singer Sargent, Complete Paintings, Volume 1: The Early Portraits Hardcover – April 20, 1998

For the most part, this is a magnificent compilation of all the portraits Sargent did until 1889. The faces leap off the page, sometimes "more alive than the sitters themselves." The short essays about the creation of each work, the life of the sitter, etc., are interesting and though repetitive (there is a similarity among his subjects--rich, pampered, often without much upstairs) never get dull. My only complaint with the book is the way the side-bar notes are handled. Often a work not detailed in this book (the first of a four-volume catalogue raisonnee) is referred to for comparison, but is not illustrated, or is shown in a postage-stamp size picture (example: a lot is told about the models for Carnation Lily Lily Rose, but the repro itself is about 1" square, and impossible to see in detail. But for the most part this is a gorgeous book, indispensible for those of us still caught up in Sargentolatry, and just whets the appetite for the next volume.

This is an absolutely fabulous collection of the works by Sargent (I just ordered the last two volumes of this 9-volume series). As a portrait painter myself, I loved reading the backstories on his works, which also serve as a loose biography of Sargent as well as illustrating some of his general techniques and how he approached his work. Not only are these stories entertaining to me, but offer valuable ideas for my own work. Also interesting and entertaining are the stories of how his life intersected with the many famous and talented people whom he knew and painted.The books are lavishly illustrated with large color prints (I've read other reviews criticizing the reproductions, but myself, I find these critiques groundless).Sargent's great-nephew (Richard Ormond), who oversaw this project, not only did a commendable service for his great-uncle's legacy, but also for any artist, library, and art historian who might want a definitive catalog of Sargent's life works.This is now one of the go-to treasures of my personal art library.

Looking at the lovely society women Sargent painted made me realise how like he was to the glamour photographers Avedon and Beaton. I loved the clothes! He paints them so well you feel you can touch them. The faces of the women artfully show them to be lovely but natural beauties. The conventions of the day deterred virtuous women from wearing make-up.One picture of a sitter with a powdered face showed the white powder streaking over the skin giving a clownish effect. This tallies with what I've read about the make-up available in those days: white was white and pink was pink.I was pleased to see the other studies of Madame Gutreau. Up to now I had only seen the Madame X picture and studies for that. From what I read in an earlier biography Sargent improved her looks for his portrait. She had creates a stir in Paris by wearing mauve powder. Sargent painted her as pale with skin like a lily.I will probably buy the other volumes in this series from Amazon.

I have say, as excited as I was to get this book...I was let down. There are many of the images that are so dark that there is no definition in the shadows. I know that he did not paint floating faces, or at least that many. I love Sargent's backgrounds to his portraits, and on so many of the images, it's just flat black (his tonal depth is lost). There is even one image that the woman's dark hair falls into the flat black as well...just a floating face. I know that he would represent hair in the shadows with a single brush stroke (which I love) and they've been lost to poor printing. Not all images are like this. So it's still a valuable reference.The information however is so extensive. So I'll keep it and enjoy the reading.

Got it for my fiancee, both avid Sargent admirers, scouring, looking for the best Sargent compilation I could find, a complete works, or part of a complete works in & while I haven't seen it myself, I know what she says, the books weight and Quality, the brilliance of the prints, the presentation of all subject, essentially everything about the book, it being the finest artbook she's ever seen, which is impressive to top Taschen's Complete Caravaggio. I don't think you'll be disappointed, she wasn't. This was posted mobile, forgive the grammar.

Very big, heavy book filled with great images. Much more than a coffee table book.

The beginings of a gifted artist who arrived at just the right time and found just the right teacher in Carolus-Duran. A true marvel in the tradition of Franz Hals and Velasques.

Excellent research. Spot on analysis. Colour reproductions not 2018 level, but that is understandable. Many paintings reproduced had not been cleaned or revarnished, which explains the e.g. 'yellowness' of many. Highly recommandable.

I am a portrait painter, and have been a huge admirer of Sargent ever since I visited the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in year 2000, and was knocked sideways by the stunning portrait of the 'Daughters of Edward Darley Boit'. I bought from that gallery the book titled 'John Singer Sargent' (ISBN-10: 069100434X) also by Kilmurray and Ormond, also first published I believe in 1998. This book is an excellent general synopsis of Sargent's work. My enthusiasm for Sargent has not diminished and so I recently decided to start collecting the Kilmurray-Ormond 'Complete paintings' series. I have just received Volume 1 Early Portraits and was expecting from it great things indeed.Does it deliver? Yes and no. Yes in that it is a comprehensive catalogue of all his portraits of that era, supported by great essays, and as such I'm thrilled to have it. The quality of the reproductions is good BUT.... having compared the quality of the reproductions between the new book, and the one I bought in 2000, I have to conclude that the quality of the reproductions is, in my opinion, noticeably superior in the Kilmurray-Ormand book I bought in Boston. I find the images in that book to be crisper, more contrasty and the colours punchier and a more accurate representation of the many Sargent paintings I've seen in the flesh.Conclusion: This is a fabulous book, and I would give it 5 stars were it not for the fact that I know the reproductions could be better. I probably will buy the other two portrait volumes in this series, as a portrait painter they will be a hugely valuable resource. However if I was asked which was THE Sargent book to own, I would have to conclude (if you can still get it) that 'John Singer Sargent' by Kilmurray and Ormond 1998, would be the one to go for.

R.A.S

Para los amantes de la pintura y en particular de la obra de John Singer Sargent, el libro es una delicia. Andre Malraux decía que un libro de arte es un museo sin paredes . . . .

As a fan of artist and on back of positive reviews I purchased first two of portrait volumes. The reproductions are just too dark to do justice to originals. TheMadame X portrait is so dark one has difficulty seeing the table she is leaning against or her jewellery. This is not limited to just a few plates. The Wyndham Sisters portrait is so dark so that a key part of the composition has been reduced to a black blob, namely the Watts portrait of their mother in the background. In fact one cannot make out anything in the background at all,so the fact that it was painted in their Belgravia home is lost; it could have been done in the studio. Other books have plates of these pictures without these defects. Unacceptable given how expensive these volumes are..

Arrived on time, in good condition,It's a large book - be warned, not going to fit in the average bookcasewould recommend this to others