John Singer Sargent is a Well-Known Name in the Art World

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/arts/design/01sargent.html

John Singer Sargent, who's probably not anyone's favorite painter (at least since Norman Rockwell's been dead), was friends with Monet, and thought he'd try his hand at a little Impressionism.

As the gallery that goes with the NYT review demonstrates, the results ranged from quite achingly bad to the above, which is curious, at least, and sort of startling in its use of all that ominous black. It does appear as though an enraged Grape Ape and his friends were on their way to avenge themselves on the gang of lazy bicycle messengers-- but maybe we all read something different into it. 

There have certainly been worse paintings. But these aren't good.

“Sargent and Impressionism” ends Dec. 18 at Adelson Galleries, 19 East 82nd Street, Manhattan.