Marionettes, John Sargent Postcard

John Singer Sargent painted the Impressionistic work entitled Marionettes in 1903. This painting has a different approach than most of Sargent’s art, making it a stand-out work of art that portrays a behind the scenes view of a marionette show. Although the painting Marionettes is an indoor scene, the artist’s keen observation of the lighting is very Impressionistic. With a warm colour palette, Sargent captured the cozy atmosphere of this marionette show illuminated by the yellow light of the gas lanterns. On the top of the canvas, four people stand behind the scenery holding the sticks that manipulate the figures. The puppets on the bottom of the work bring more colours to the scene, like red and blue-green, with detailed characters that overlap one another. The dark background contrasts with the bright scene and shows a man peeking the presentation from the side of the scenery