And now updated Sect Leader Jiang a la El Jaleo by John Singer Sargent. I’m glad you all liked this concept from when I posted the value study earlier (seriously I didn't expect that many people to like a simple value study but such is the genius of Sargent)…the enthusiasm made me more excited to finish the piece!
Sure he’s not gripping Zidian very well and I don’t see how he wouldn’t slice off his own leg with Sandu positioned like that, but it looks awesome so it all works out. Probably. Sargent has always been willing to make stuff up for the aesthetics.
Now for a detail view of Sandu Shengshou:
See under the cut for my head canons for the OG JC stans, the gremlin disciples.
Which disciple are you?
(1) Xichen?! He let himself in I had no say 2) Having a good time 3) Probably a Spider from Yu Sect. V proud of SLJ 4) Jiang Sect musician. San xian [a traditional Chinese instrument] which is made of snake skin 5) Always wants a glimpse of Sect Leader but is subtle about it 6) Wants a glimpse and is LOUD and PROUD about it 7) Hype squad! Particularly hypes feral JC even more 8) VP of SDSS fan club. Jin Ling is Prez obvs.)
It was awesome. Definitely one of the top ten shows I've ever seen. It was put together so well, from the wallpaper to having THE ACTUAL DRESSES FROM THE PAINTINGS IN THE EXHBIT.
Everyone knows ...
But did you know Sargent did this?
I saw the above painting (and others) and gasped. This was so not what I was used to.
Did I mention that they had the actual dresses from the pictures?
Had to include a pink dress for @betweenfrocksandbooks. 10/10 would absolutely recommend Fashioned by Sargent if you are in Boston, MA, USA. It runs until January 15, 2024.
Mrs. George Swinton (Elizabeth Ebsworth)
John Singer Sargent (American; 1856–1925)
London, 1897
Oil on canvas
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
National Portrait Gallery, London 1994, 240 pages, 22x27,5cm, ISBN 978 1855 141414, The 250 illustrations, 150 in color, include works by Cecil Beaton and Pavel Tchelitchew.
Published for the exhibition: The Sitwells and the Arts of the 1920s and 1930s, held at the National Portrait Gallery from 14 October 1994 to 22 January 1995.
'Battle is in the curve of their nostrils', wrote Arnold Bennett of the Sitwells. 'They issue forth from their bright pavilions and demand trouble.' Poets, patrons of the arts and ardent self-publicists, the three siblings, Edith, Osbert and Sacheverell, rarely missed an opportunity to promote themselves or denounce their sworn enemy, the philistine.
They were natural subjects, and targets for the media. Unconventional, aristocratic, physically imposing (all more than six feet tall), they were bold, talented and provocative, and there were three of them. This book celebrates their lives and their artistic crusade, which brought them into contact and conflict with many of the leading figures of the arts in the early part of this century. Gertrude Stein, T. S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas and Evelyn Waugh were among their friends; their favourite enemies included Wyndham Lewis, Noel Coward and D. H. Lawrence.
*David Attenborough voice* Watch as the mighty hunter stalks his prey. With silent cunning, he waits for the exact opportune moment to pounce. The chipmunk never had a chance.
I always wanted to draw a Jiang Cheng with a dancer’s grace, and Sargent’s El Jaleo is such a lovely and dynamic painting I kept wanting to adapt it. So we have Sandu Shengshou maybe doing a demonstration to his disciples? Or torturing some unlucky (lucky?!) demonic cultivators…