MIDDLEBURY — In “Sickert vs. Sargent,” art critic Waldemar Januszczak profiles Walter Sickert and John Singer Sargent, two giants of Edwardian painting who could not have been more different. The film will screen twice on Wednesday, March 6 at the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury.
Written and presented by Waldemar Januszczak, the film focuses on some of the most beautiful and alarming paintings ever made in this country; evokes the long-lost atmosphere of Edwardian London; and above all, shows that these two immigrants were waging a war over nothing less than the future soul of British art.
Pitting each artist against the other round for round, Waldemar takes apart each artist to discover who is the superior painter. Sickert lived in dingy Camden Town, consorted with thieves and prostitutes and was suspected of being Jack the Ripper, whereas Sargent lived in Chelsea, hobnobbed with dukes and counts and only painted the rich and famous. Between them, they summed up the schizophrenic character of their age, but who was the better artist?
Showtimes are at 11 a.m. and 7.p.m. on Wednesday. Run time is 1 hour. Tickets are $13/ $8 (includes a $1 preservation fee) and may be purchased at townhalltheater.org, by calling (802) 382-9222, at the THT box office Monday-Saturday, 12-5 p.m., or at the door an hour before show time.