The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 71.4 × 56.5 cm (28 1/8 × 22 1/4 in.)
- Genre
- oil on canvas
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
paintingChicago World's FairsModernismImpressionismCentury of Progressmodern and contemporary artoil on canvaswatermenLeisureoil paint (paint)painting (image making)peopleChicagofashionwomenworld's fairsportraitsoil painting
About
The year 1907 was a turning point for John Singer Sargent, as he daringly stepped away from his successful career as a portraitist in favor of plein air (outdoor) painting. This lively work aptly captures that moment of transition, combining landscape and portraiture in a composition that speaks to friendship and painterly pursuits while also celebrating color, surface, and fleeting effects of light and movement. The couple is Wilfrid and Jane Emmet de Glehn, professional artists and Sargent’s frequent traveling companions. Although The Fountain has the appearance of spontaneity, Sargent was frequently interrupted by rain as he worked. He thus completed it over several days, requiring his friends to pose at length.
