Syrian Goats

During a visit to the Middle East in 1905–6, John Singer Sargent painted this study of a rocky, sun-drenched pasture, featuring a herd of goats and a single figure at top left. The trip included stays in what is now Syria and Jordan as well as Jerusalem. The artist traveled to the region in search of subject matter for a different kind of project: a long-term and large-scale mural commission. Sargent nevertheless found time for landscape painting during the trip and thereafter focused with new energy on such vibrant depictions of the natural world.