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Kim Gorrasi Studio

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Oil paintings and portraits by Boston artist Kim Gorrasi.

BOSTON, MA

Kim Gorrasi Studio

  • Home
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    • Honors & Ceremonies
    • Exhibitions
    • Demonstrations & Lectures
    • Workshops
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John Singer Sargent

November 3, 2016 Kim Gorrasi
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)

In my mind, no artist is more skilled in the bravura manner of painting than American painter John Singer Sargent (1856-1925). Known for his bold, precise, economic brushwork, Sargent's oil paintings are simply breathtaking. His drawings and watercolors seem just as effortless. However, such results came from great deliberation, as Sargent was known to repeatedly scrape away his attempts until satisfied.

Sargent was born in Florence, Italy in 1856 to American parents. He studied briefly in Florence before continuing his studies in Paris with Carolus-Duran at the École des Beaux Arts. He established himself as a premiere portrait painter of the upper class, often traveling between England and America for business. His U.S. commissions include the official White House portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Here in Boston, where Sargent had strong New England roots, the city proudly maintains a heavy presence of his work at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MFA), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Public Library, and The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Tags kim gorrasi, kim gorrasi studio, kim gorrasi artist, john singer sargent, sargent, bravura brushwork, École des Beaux Arts, museum of fine arts boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Public Library, The Clark Art institute, oil painting, drawings, watercolors

Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones

August 25, 2016 Kim Gorrasi
(Bottom right photo courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. All other photos courtesy of Barbara Lehman Smith.)

(Bottom right photo courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. All other photos courtesy of Barbara Lehman Smith.)

One of my chief painting heroes is American painter Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones (1885-1968). Born in Baltimore, MD, she studied under William Merritt Chase at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, earning many accolades and awards. Shown above, her paintings Shoe Shop (1911) and Shop Girls (1912) demonstrate sheer mastery of bravura brushwork. She painted with great brilliance through most of her twenties, then suffered an unfortunate breakdown. She resumed her work upon her recovery years later, but her style became more raw and emotive.

I've visited The Art Institute of Chicago to see the breathtaking Shoe Shop and was deeply moved. It was the only time I have overlooked the John Singer Sargent painting in the room! I first stumbled upon a note card of Sparhawk-Jones’ work over twenty years ago and connected immediately. Since there were no web resources at the time, I worked in close written correspondence with various museums and historical commissions to learn more about this incredible artist. These sources graciously supplied me with photocopies and other reference materials regarding Sparhawk-Jones’ life and work.

Over time I have found others who also treasure her. In fact, author Barbara Lehman Smith recently published a book about Sparhawk-Jones entitled, Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones: The Artist Who Lived Twice. Learn more about Elizabeth's amazing life at www.elizabethsparhawkjones.com.

Tags kim gorrasi, kim gorrasi artist, kim gorrasi studio, elizabeth sparhawk-jones, sparhawk-jones, art institute of chicago, william merritt chase, pennsylvania academy of the fine arts, barbara lehman smith, shoe shop, shop girls, oil painting, bravura brushwork

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