1. How the Prophets Helped in the Development of Religion.
2. The Most Interesting Prophet.
3. The Most Pleasing Group of Prophets.
4. Life of the Artist.
5. Reasons Why This Painting Has Become Famous.
6. How Fresco or Mural Painting Is Done.
=The story of the artist.= We are especially interested in Mr. Sargent
because he is one of the living American artists who has won fame both
in his own country and abroad. Although John Singer Sargent was born in
Florence, Italy, we claim him as an American because his parents were
Americans and because he has always considered himself an American. His
boyhood was spent in Florence, where it was his delight to wander in the
art galleries. He showed an early talent for drawing, and when he was
nineteen years old he went to Paris to become the pupil of some of the
best artists.
Mr. Sargent is famous for his many portraits as well as for his mural
decorations. He has traveled extensively and has visited the United
States many times, painting and exhibiting his paintings here, but most
of his life has been spent in London, where he is now living. In 1908 he
was elected to the Royal Academy. He has won many medals of honor for
his paintings, and is a member of the leading art societies of America
and Europe.
Among the noted pictures by Mr. Sargent are: “Carnation Lily, Lily
Rose,” “Fishing for Oysters at Cancale,” “Neapolitan Children Bathing,”
“El Jaleo” (Spanish Dance), “Fumes of Ambergris,” “Ellen Terry as Lady
Macbeth,” and “La Carmençita.” As a portrait painter Mr. Sargent has
been commissioned by men and women of high distinction in literary,
political, social, and artistic life in America and Europe. Among his
eminent sitters have been: Joseph Chamberlain, Carolus Duran, Theodore
Roosevelt, Secretary Hay, and Octavia Hill.
=Questions about the artist.= Why do we feel an especial interest in Mr.
Sargent? Where was he born? Why do we claim him as an American? Where
did he study drawing and painting? For what kind of paintings is he
famous? Where does he live?
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[Illustration:
Copyright by Edwin A. Abbey; from a Copley Print
Copyright by Curtis & Cameron, Publishers, Boston
GALAHAD THE DELIVERER. THE HOLY GRAIL
]