The Seed Of A Grand Idea
I've been thinking a lot about John Singer Sargent recently. While browsing through the collection of Sargent's work on the Museum of Fine Art, Boston MA, website; I came across this little drawing done by the masters hand.
This sketch, a quick doodle really, stands out in stark contrast against the many detailed drawings and sketches in the collection. Most of the drawings in the collection are studies for the Murals at the Boston Public Library that Sargent was commissioned for in 1856. It took Sargent 29 years to complete his 'Triumph of Religion' murals.
The Pen & Ink sketch is titled Sketch for Carnation Lily Lily Rose. It truly is the very seed of a grand idea. The completed oil painting is 5' 9" x 5' 1" and is in the collection of the Tate. I've posted an image of the painting at the top of this newsletter. After seeing this humble beginning of a masterpiece, I went to the Tate website and found this quick sketch which is a letter from Sargent to his sister Emily Sargent, with a compositional idea for Carnation Lily Lily Rose and also in the MFA collection.
Seeing these images got me asking the question: How often do people have ideas for big projects, whether it be for paintings or anything else, that never make it beyond this initial idea stage?
Sargent was struck with an idea and immediately, however vague the result, started to scribble it down on paper. It makes me think of what my parents used to say to me when I was tackling hard projects in school, 'The longest journey begins with a single step'. That first step is key. Then another step and then another. If we try to see it all completed before we have really begun, it can be overwhelming. Another way I have learned to look at projects is to imagine that all the steps that make up the project from start to finish have a weight of 10 lbs to them. Now imagine that a project with 12 steps weighs 120 lbs. Thinking about carrying all that weight at once is undoable. But thinking about and actually doing each step one at a time, means that you are carrying only 10lbs of weight at a time. Each time you complete a step, it no longer has any weight. A completed project has zero weight to it!
I'm working on a commission for a collector right now, and seeing Sargent's sketches has reconfirmed to me that an idea is a start and the simplest beginnings can become great achievements. I'm also working on a project involving online tutorials and some video work that will allow me to share my knowledge and passion of more than 30 years of painting, with everyone who is interested and wants to have a look. There are so many ideas that I can't wait to put together and share. I've spent a lot of time doodling and making sketches for my commission and I'm now in the 'finished' sketch phase. I've also been jotting down note after note for my online tutorial project since last October and slowly it's all starting to come together...step by step by step :)
If you want to view the collection of Sargent's work at the MFA and see more images of studies and sketches for Carnation Lily Lily Rose, as well as a very nice explanation of how the painting all came about, here are some links.
More about Carnation Lily Lily Rose here. The Sargent Collection at the MFA here.
Warm Regards,
David & Pam