Singer serenade?

Singer serenade?

Turns out Tony Bennett is sweet on John Singer Sargent. 

The multiple Grammy winner is also a painter en plein air, spending time daily to capture his muse—Central Park—in all its mercurial hues. Not surprisingly, he has a soft spot for Impressionists. “For me, Sargent is it,” he said. Bennett started painting at age 8, and for a while it was a tossup which art to pursue. Seems some people can paint their cake and sing it, too. Signed Anthony Benedetto (his birth name), three of his paintings are held in the Smithsonian’s permanent collections. Now, if only his autograph hounds would kindly stand aside.             —Diane Richard, writer, December 2

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Photo credit: Damon Winter/The New York Times

Source: Alex Vadukul, “Tony Bennett Finds His Heart in Central Park,” The New York Times, November 27, 2015