John Singer Sargent 1856-1925
American
I have had a copy of this hanging in my house since I was a teenager. I was thrilled when I saw it at Tate Britain.
“John Singer Sargent painted Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose between 1885 and 1886. The inspiration for the painting came during a boating expedition Sargent took on the Thames at Pangbourne in September 1885, with the American artist Edwin Austin Abbey, during which he saw Chinese lanterns hanging among trees and lilies.
Sargent began the picture while staying at the home of the painter F.D. Millet at Broadway, Worcestershire, shortly after his move to Britain from Paris. At first he used the Millets's five-year-old daughter Katharine as his model, but she was soon replaced by Polly and Dorothy (Dolly) Barnard, the daughters of the illustrator Frederick Barnard, because they had the exact hair-colour Sargent was seeking. He worked on the picture, one of the few figure compositions he ever made out of doors in the Impressionist manner, from September to early November 1885, and again at the Millets's new home, Russell House, Broadway, during the summer of 1886, completing it some time in October.
Sargent was able to work for only a few minutes each evening when the light was exactly right. He would place his easel and paints beforehand, and pose his models in anticipation of the few moments when he could paint the mauvish light of dusk. As autumn came and the flowers died, he was forced to replace the blossoms with artificial flowers. The picture was both acclaimed and decried at the 1887 Royal Academy exhibition.”
Not a perfectionist, eh?
"Sargent was able to work for only a few minutes each evening when the light was exactly right. He would place his easel and paints beforehand, and pose his models in anticipation of the few moments when he could paint the mauvish light of dusk."
@anniesue That's the part about seeing the origijnal works! We night really have no concept of the dimensions until we stand there seeing it! And, Dorothy, thank you for sharing this; I love Sargent's talent! For those of us without such painterly talent, aren't we fortunate to be able to save moments we see with the click of a camera?
@Weezilou on the same nineteenth century art course we were introduced to Samuel Palmer and Edward Calvert - thrown up on the screen the same size as the Sargent!
@Weezilou
Yes we are Louise! Also having access to the many books about the arts and museums. I was fortunate my parents exposed me to so much. I may not have appreciated it as much as I do now.
I had studied it, seen reproductions in books - and onto slide screens.
But I did not know it was so BIG!
"Sargent was able to work for only a few minutes each evening when the light was exactly right. He would place his easel and paints beforehand, and pose his models in anticipation of the few moments when he could paint the mauvish light of dusk."
I know it shocked me too at how large it is.
Yes we are Louise! Also having access to the many books about the arts and museums. I was fortunate my parents exposed me to so much. I may not have appreciated it as much as I do now.
Amazing wasn’t it?