Critique of The Smoky Thames

The Smoky Thames

For my research paper I will be using the piece, ‘The Smoky Thames’ from 1885 by John Singer Sargent. The theme I will be discussing is, ‘How does understanding a design and its aesthetic reflect the cultural context in which the designer/artist worked in the example you have chosen’. John Singer Sargent uses only gray scale and a dreary, inactive background to show the disarray and loss of hope in the Thames at the time.

John Singer Sargent was an American painter who was, “…known as the most fashionable portrait painter in the 19th century” (Ormond). Since Sargent was a child he had his sights set on becoming an artist, thus most of his energy went into pursuing his dream. Eventually Sargent and his father decided he should study in Paris in the studio of Carolus-Duran. During his studies he really paid attention to Velazquez, “ …Frans Hals was also an important influence on his brushwork”(Ormond). Sargent was known through out Europe for his exquisite portraiture skills, and did many commissions for people all over the world. Even though he was mainly recognized for his portraiture, Sargent also worked on landscapes and watercolors.

The River Thames has much history and is a very recognizable landmark in London. The earliest mention of the Thames is from 54 BC. When civilization started to take place in the United Kingdom, the River Thames was used as a main water source. As civilization began to spread out and more freshwater sources where discovered, “The Thames was used as a means of disposing waste produced from the city of London, effectively turning the river into an open sewer”(Sinclair). When the Thames started to be more occupied with pollution than with fresh water they had to evacuate th...

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...d their river. With his use of color in The Smoky Thames, is clear that Sargent’s mood was dismal at the time, since the colors portray melancholy. It is apparent

that Sargent had many ways to paint things as seen by the differences of his two pieces, and that The Smoky Thames is a beautiful landscape.

Works Cited

Richard Ormond. "Sargent, John Singer." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.

Sargent, John Singer. The Smoky Thames. 1885. Oil on canvas. John Singer

Sargent, Milwaukee Art Museum.

Sargent, John Singer. Street In Venice. 1882. Oil on wood. National Gallery of

Art.

Sinclair, Mick (2007). The Thames: a cultural history. Oxford; New York:

Oxford University Press.

Trevor Fairbrother, John Singer Sargent, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1994