Study of an Old Man

Label TextOnly in some of his early works, and a few of the last ones, did John SInger Sargent imbue his painjted image with a sense of human import. "Study of a Man", dating undoubtedly from the early Paris period of 1874-82, is one of these rare Sargent paintings that conveys such a strength of meaning, combined with the extraordinary technique that marked all of his work. Painted, clearly, from a studio model, the figure is invested with a sense of drama that is universal in quality. The painting is an unfinished work, with the lower area and arms broadly blocked in. Like the Rodin sculptures that are only partially carved from the mass of stone, this unfinished, emerging quality adds to the significance of the work. There is a clear upward progression of the development of the painting, that leads strongly toward the powerful head. Sargent, himself, apparently did not feel it necessary to carry the work further. Source: Bulletin, December 1963.
Exhibition History"From Body to Being: Reflections on the Human Image," Des Moines Art Center, Feb. 1 - May 4, 1997

"Selected Works from the Des Moines Art Center's Permanent Collection," organized by the Waterloo Municipal Galleries, sponsored by the National Bank of Waterloo, Oct. 24 - Nov. 20, 1983; (Circulated to: Charles MacNider Museum, Mason City, Jan. 15 - Feb. 26, 1984; Muscatine Art Center, Apr. 1 - May 13, 1984; Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, May 27 - July 1, 1984; Sioux City Art Center, July 15 - Aug. 26, 1984)

"Master Painters - 14th through 19th Centuries," Des Moines Art Center, Sept. 11 - Oct. 7, 1951

"The Turn of the Century: American Artists 1890-1920," Des Moines Art Center, Oct. 4 - 30, 1949

“19th and 20th century European and American art... The opening exhibition of the new Des Moines Art Center” June 2, 1948 - August 1, 1948
Published ReferencesDES MOINES REGISTER, Nov. 3, 1963, ill.

DMAC Bulletin, Dec. 1963, ill.

"The Turn of the Century: American Artists 1890 - 1920," Des Moines Art Center, 1949, exh. brochure ref. p.6

"Selected Works from the Des Moines Art Center's Permanent Collection," Waterloo Municipal Galleries, 1983, exh. cat. no.33

"Master Painters - 14th through 19th Centuries," Des Moines Art Center, 1951, exh. cat. no.30

DES MOINES ART CENTER: SELECTED PAINTINGS, SCULPTURES AND WORKS ON PAPER, Des Moines Art Center, 1985, ref. pp.188 - 190

DimensionsOverall: 39 1/4 × 31 1/2 in. (99.7 × 80 cm)

Accession Number 1931.1

Classificationspainting

CopyrightPublic Domain

ProvenanceArtist, probably France. Paul Foinet, Paris [acquried by 1931]; Des Moines Association of Fine Arts [gift from the previous via Mrs. Ernest Brown, 1931]; Des Moines Art Center [gift from the previous, 1948]