G. Starke
John Singer Sargent - Marionettes, 1903
Christie’s Catalogue Note:
“The sense of dramatic energy that pervades the best of Sargent’s work finds an explicit rendering in Marionettes, as Sargent presents a quartet of men operating these Sicilian rod puppets within a confined and dramatically lit interior. The shimmering golden palette he utilizes suggests the stifling heat permeating the space, also indicated by the shirtless torso of one of the operators. Indeed, the air feels thick with eager anticipation: although Sargent does not depict the remainder of the audience, a fifth figure watches intently from the stage wings. His clear engagement with the dramatic performance adds to the overall sense of excitement emanating from the scene. Sicilian puppeteers preferred romantic and bloody dramas, and the rendering of two dueling knights watched by a visibly distraught woman in black suggests the specific play the artist depicts here is based on the a 15th century Italian epic poem, Orlando Furioso.”
John Singer Sargent - Marionettes, 1903
Christie’s Catalogue Note:
“The sense of dramatic energy that pervades the best of Sargent’s work finds an explicit rendering in Marionettes, as Sargent presents a quartet of men operating these Sicilian rod puppets within a confined and dramatically lit interior. The shimmering golden palette he utilizes suggests the stifling heat permeating the space, also indicated by the shirtless torso of one of the operators. Indeed, the air feels thick with eager anticipation: although Sargent does not depict the remainder of the audience, a fifth figure watches intently from the stage wings. His clear engagement with the dramatic performance adds to the overall sense of excitement emanating from the scene. Sicilian puppeteers preferred romantic and bloody dramas, and the rendering of two dueling knights watched by a visibly distraught woman in black suggests the specific play the artist depicts here is based on the a 15th century Italian epic poem, Orlando Furioso.”