Val d'Aosta: Stepping Stones

Sargent spent much of his childhood being shuttled about Europe by his American parents, seeking climates and locales more amenable to their tolerances. A nomadic existence inevitably became part of his nature; he particularly enjoyed visits to the Alps, where he painted views of the mountains, glaciers, and streams. The Val d'Aosta (French for "Valley of Aosta") in northwestern Italy is one of the great thoroughfares leading travelers down from the mountain passes of France and Switzerland to the Italian plains. During Sargent's visit to Val d'Aosta in the summer of 1907, his compositions of streams there took a new turn in perspective, with the artist looking straight down into the rippling pools. By so doing, the artist draws our attention to the play of light across the surface, while also pushing us to consider the depths beyond. The cast shadow in the left foreground is, most likely, that of Sargent himself.