plate no. 0697
Santa Maria del Carmelo and Scuola Grande dei Carmini
John Singer Sargent, 1910
recreation guide
John Singer Sargent’s 'Santa Maria del Carmelo and Scuola Grande dei Carmini' (1910) is a cityscape executed in oil on canvas, reflecting his later period interest in working en plein air and his familiarity with Impressionist techniques (Source 7). The artwork is distinctive for its technical facility, particularly Sargent’s renowned ability to 'draw with a brush,' a trait that defined his career from his early days in Florence and Paris to his later landscapes (Source 7). While Sargent is best known for society portraiture, his informal studies and landscapes display a looser, more atmospheric approach consistent with Impressionism, allowing for the capture of light and atmosphere rather than rigid architectural precision (Source 7). The painting serves as an expression of feeling through painted symbols, avoiding the 'meretricious attempt to deceive the eye' in favor of vital expression suited to the medium of oil paint (Source 6).
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
5 items
steps
5 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Yellow, Red tones) | Primary pigments for underpainting and glazing | High-quality artist-grade oils |
| Canvas | Support surface | Linen or cotton canvas, primed |
| Oil of Copavia (or modern damar/resin medium) | Medium for the first and second paintings to facilitate glazing | Liquin or stand oil mixed with resin |
| Varnish | Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to gain mastery over transparent coats | Artist's varnish or medium |
| Brushes | To execute the 'drawing with a brush' technique characteristic of Sargent | Hog bristle and sable brushes of various sizes |
preparation
surface prep
The canvas should be prepared to accept oil paint, which possesses 'vast capacity' for illusion but requires the artist to respect its vital qualities (Source 6). While specific priming recipes for this 1910 work are not detailed in the sources, Sargent’s general practice involved working on prepared surfaces that allowed for his characteristic brushwork. The preparation should not be so absorbent as to dull the 'vital expression' of the medium, nor so slick as to prevent the brush from holding its form (Source 6).
underdrawing
Sargent is characterized by his 'remarkable technical facility, particularly in his ability to draw with a brush' (Source 7). Consequently, a distinct, separate underdrawing phase using charcoal or pencil is likely minimal or non-existent in the final visible layer. Instead, the drawing is integrated into the painting process itself. The artist should aim to establish forms directly with paint, avoiding the tendency to be 'too much tied down to your outline' (Source 8).
underpainting
The sources suggest a method involving a monochrome preparation, specifically a grisaille. The artist should mentally extract red and yellow colors, translating what would remain in nature if these were absent, creating a neutral ground (Source 1). This grisaille should be allowed to dry completely before proceeding. This approach aligns with the 'old masters' method of glazing and scumbling, which Sargent’s contemporaries and predecessors utilized to build depth and tone (Source 1).
color palette
Ultramarine
Pure ultramarine pigment
Part of the initial monochrome underpainting along with black and white (Source 1)
White
Lead white or titanium white
Establishing highlights and mixing tints in the underpainting and final layers (Source 1)
Black
Ivory black or lamp black
Establishing shadows and depth in the monochrome underpainting (Source 1)
Yellow and Red tones
Transparent yellow and red pigments
Glazing and scumbling over the dry grisaille to introduce color, mimicking the effect of tinting an engraving (Source 1)
Neutral Grays
Mixtures of complements or black/white
Creating 'grey bloom' effects through scumbling over darker grounds (Source 1)
composition
The composition of a cityscape like this involves organizing visual elements such as line, shape, and space to guide the viewer’s eye (Source 3). Sargent’s approach to landscapes and cityscapes often involved a 'familiarity with Impressionism,' suggesting a focus on the overall effect of light and atmosphere rather than rigid architectural detail (Source 7). The artist should consider the 'law of simultaneous contrast,' where juxtaposing tones creates a gradation of light, enhancing the visual impact of the buildings against the sky or street (Source 2). The composition should balance the 'great effects' of the main structures with smaller, spontaneous details resulting from color and tone contrasts (Source 2).
step by step
underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing
underpainting
step 01
Create a monochrome grisaille using only black, ultramarine, and white. Mentally exclude red and yellow tones to establish the value structure of the scene.
Tip — Ensure the grisaille is completely dry before proceeding. This step establishes the 'alphabet' of the painting (Source 1, Source 8).
Monochrome preparation
first pass
step 02
Apply the first layer of color using oil of copavia (or a similar resinous medium) as a vehicle. Focus on broad masses and general color placement.
Tip — Avoid over-modeling at this stage. Sargent’s facility allows for broad, confident strokes (Source 1, Source 7).
Oil painting with copavia
refining
step 03
Glaze and scumble with yellow and red tones. Glazing involves applying a transparent coat of color, while scumbling involves a semi-opaque layer that allows the underlying painting to show through.
Tip — Use these techniques to 'tint' the monochrome base, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors. Scumbling over darker grounds can create a 'grey bloom' effect (Source 1).
Glazing and Scumbling
finishing
step 04
Refine the details using varnish and oil mixed as a medium, once sufficient mastery of the glazing technique is gained. Adjust contrasts to enhance the 'gradation of light' through juxtaposition.
Tip — Pay attention to the 'law of contrast of colour' to ensure that adjacent tones enhance each other, creating a true gradation of light (Source 2).
Varnish glazing
step 05
Review the painting for 'vital expression' rather than mere deception. Ensure the work remains a 'painted symbol' true to the emotional idea and the medium's capabilities.
Tip — Avoid 'misdirected effort' aimed solely at tricking the eye into seeing real nature; instead, focus on the expression of feeling through the material (Source 6).
Artistic integrity
critical techniques
Glazing and Scumbling
Glazing is a transparent coat of color; scumbling is semi-opaque, allowing the underpainting to show through. Sargent’s contemporaries and old masters used this to build color and depth, particularly for 'grey bloom' effects (Source 1).
Drawing with a Brush
Sargent’s signature technique, characterized by remarkable technical facility and the ability to define forms directly with paint strokes rather than preliminary drawing (Source 7).
Simultaneous Contrast
Using juxtaposition of tones and colors to create gradations of light and enhance visual impact. This principle helps harmonize colors inherent to the subject (Source 2).
common pitfalls
- →Over-modeling or being 'too much tied down to your outline,' which can lead to smallness and a lack of vitality (Source 8).
- →Attempting to deceive the eye into seeing 'real nature' rather than expressing feeling through the medium, which results in a 'meretricious' effect (Source 6).
- →Applying glazes before the underpainting is completely dry, which can muddy the colors and ruin the transparency (Source 1).
- →Darkening colors by adding black, which can cause hue shifts (e.g., yellows shifting greenish); instead, use complementary colors to neutralize and darken without shifting hue (Source 5).
what the sources don't tell us
Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.
- ·Specific architectural details of Santa Maria del Carmelo and Scuola Grande dei Carmini are not described in the sources, so the artist must rely on reference images for the building's structure.
- ·The exact palette of pigments Sargent used for this specific 1910 work is not detailed; the guide infers from general practices and the 'old masters' method described in Source 1.
- ·The specific lighting conditions (time of day, weather) are not described, requiring the artist to interpret the 'Impressionist' style broadly.
- ·The scale of the canvas is not provided, which affects the brushwork size and detail level.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques
- ON COPYING — applied to Advice on avoiding over-modeling and smallness
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 6. Put beside each other two flat tints... — applied to Composition and color harmony
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of medium and avoiding mere deception
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 1 — applied to General compositional principles
Wikipedia bio — John Singer Sargent↗
- John Singer Sargent — part 1 — applied to Artist's style, 'drawing with a brush,' and Impressionist influences
Wikipedia: Color theory↗
- Color theory — part 6 — applied to Mixing colors and avoiding hue shifts
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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