"Cherchez la Demi-Teinte"

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Portrait of Carolus Duran 1879 John Singer Sargent

We often listen to audio books while painting in our studios. Lately, we have been listening to a wonderful one by David McCullough, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris published in 2012. He weaves the story of the migration of American artists, doctors and writers to Paris in the 19th century, detailing their lives, friends and experiences both personal and professional, in fascinating anecdotes. We found the passage on John Singer Sargent especially interesting because McCullough went into some detail about Sargent’s training under Carolus-Duran. That training formed the foundation of Sargent’s painting methods for the rest of his life.

“One must look for the middle-tone, Carolus preached, and begin there. ‘Cherchez la demi-teinte,’ he would say again and again. And they must study Velázquez without respite. ‘Velázquez, Velázquez, Velázquez, étudiez sans relâche Velázquez!‘ “

“Years later, in the course of…