Pictured is John Sargent's study for "Classic and Romantic Art," one of the decorations the painter created for the walls of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Show highlights painter John Singer Sargent's sculptural skills

When he was commissioned by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to create decorations for a library entrance, the ceiling above the grand stairway and the dome of the gallery's rotunda, artist John Singer Sargent chose as the theme of his creations a celebration of the arts. Sargent (1856-1925), an acclaimed portraitist of America's Gilded Age and Edwardian England, worked for almost 10 years on the commission in a rented Boston studio, where he constructed a model of the dome and experimented with decorative schemes using plaster studies. When his decorations were unveiled at the Museum of Fine Arts in 1925, reviewers compared his achievement with that of Michelangelo. Sargent never saw the final installation, however, having died in London on the eve of his departure to Boston. A group of 34 small bas-reliefs and one sculpture made by Singer as studies for the decoration of the rotunda's dome is now on public view for the first time at the Yale University Art Gallery. The exhibit, titled "John Singer Sargent: The Painter as Sculptor," is located in the new American Arts Matrix Gallery on the third floor of the museum. It was organized in the Department of American Paintings and Sculpture by Helen A. Cooper, the Holcombe T. Green Curator, and Robin Jaffee Frank, associate curator. The exhibit, on view through April 21, features Sargent's studies grouped by subject: "Eros and Psyche" and "Classic and Romantic Art," for example. Within these groups, compositions at different stages reveal the progression of the artist's ideas. The maquettes, or models, that are the most sculptural were ultimately executed as major bas-reliefs, while the thinnest became painted murals. While best known as a portraitist, Sargent was also in great demand as a muralist, particularly in Boston, which was a center of the mural movement in America. He developed his ideas for the museum decorations first through a series of graphite and charcoal drawings, seven of which are included in the exhibition. His favorite model was Thomas McKeller, an African-American hotel worker, who posed for many of the figures of both genders. In the completed dome, of which a large color photograph is exhibited, classical gods and heroes perform in allegories that pay homage to the arts. Sargent's studies were given to Yale in 1929 by the artist's sisters, Emily Sargent and Violet Sargent Ormond, in the belief that an audience of scholars and art students could benefit from the study of his working methods, the sculptural process and the evolution of his most important mural project. Recent conservation, underwritten by a grant from the Barker Welfare Foundation, makes it possible to display these works. Support for the exhibition comes from the Friends of American Arts at Yale and the Jan and Warren Adelson Fund in honor of Eugénie Prendergast. The Yale University Art Gallery, located on the corner of Chapel and York streets, is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (until 8 p.m. on Thursdays), and Sunday, 1-6 p.m. Admission is free. For recorded general and program information, call (203) 432-0600 or visit the gallery's website at www.yale.edu/artgallery. T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S F&ES launches a $60 million capital campaign School of Management hailed for emphasis on teaching . . . Iran is 'buckle' of 'terror belt,' warns exiled crown prince Yale Books in Brief For American architects, the sky is still the limit, says Stern AIA to honor Stern for his contributions to the 'urban landscape' Ireland's former prime minister to speak at YCIAS DEA official and New Mexico's governor to discuss war on drugs Show highlights painter John Singer Sargent's sculptural skills Panel goes beyond fantasy and crisis to look at richness of Arab civilization Yale has long history of teaching Arabic language Conference on 'ideal' Native American school to include play, film . . . Council on European Studies sponsoring conference . . . Auction to raise funds to fight hunger and homelessness Memorial service to honor Levi Jackson, . . . Rescheduled talks to explore Sept. 11 events, evolution Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News|Bulletin Board Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases| E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page