Studies of a Soldier Drinking, for Gassed (recto); Studies of a Male Nude (verso)

1918

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Studies of a Soldier Drinking, for Gassed (recto); Studies of a Male Nude (verso) is a 1918 by John Singer Sargent, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: John Singer Sargent
When & what style?: 1918
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

A soldier sits on the ground, head tilted back as he drinks from a canteen. On the back of the paper, a nude man stands with arms raised, his body carefully outlined. This drawing was made while Sargent prepared his large war painting *Gassed*, based on what he saw in France during World War I. He sketched soldiers at a dressing station, many blinded by mustard gas. The studies helped him get the poses and light right. He wanted the final painting to show real moments of pain and care. The Cleveland Museum of Art holds this study and other works from his wartime visit. (Word count: 108)

The story of this work

Overview

In 1919, Sargent exhibited a large painting at the Royal Academy of Art in London called Gassed. The Dressing Station at Le Bac and on the Doullers-Arras Road. The British War Memorial Committee had commissioned the work from him as a way of honoring the sacrifices of World War I. The subject was based on a scene the artist actually witnessed during his visit to battlefields in France in 1918. This drawing is a study for one of the soldiers in the painting, which now hangs in the Imperial War Museum in London.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury.

See the richer artist page