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Lot Essay
Painted in Nice, France circa 1883, Thistles presents a dramatic departure for John Singer Sargent from his usual subjects at that time and marks the beginning of his experimentation with more Impressionist techniques. By the early 1880s, Sargent was already recognized as a leading portrait painter. In years to come, he would be increasingly recognized for his success as a landscape painter as well. Richard Ormond notes, "The scarce biographical data on this aspect of Sargent's works might suggest that Sargent considered landscape painting to be a secondary activity, something to pass the time while relaxing on holiday, but this is contradicted by the evidence of the paintings themselves. The body of landscape work is formidable in its range and quality, showing that Sargent pursued landscape themes with the same intensity and inventiveness evident in his portraits and murals. He did not paint because he went abroad; he went abroad to paint." (Sargent Abroad: Figures and Landscapes, New York, 1997, p. 6)
Sargent lived in Paris from 1874 to 1886. During this time, he worked with such Impressionist artists as Edgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and enjoyed a brief, close association with Claude Monet, whom he seems to have met as early as 1876 at the second Impressionist exhibition in Paris. Although his painting style differed from pure Impressionism in his darker palette, Sargent explored this style to its fullest while in France during the early 1880s. In the summer of 1883, Sargent visited his parents and sisters in Nice and while there, painted several landscapes of the area with broad brushstrokes and an earthy palette. These paintings, including Thistles, are closer to Monet's style than any of his others.
Sargent's working method at Nice was unusual for its day. According to Sargent's friend Edmund Gosse, the artist "was accustomed to emerge, carrying a large easel, to advance a little way into the open, and then suddenly to plant himself down nowhere in particular, behind a barn, opposite a wall, in the middle of a field...his object was to acquire the habit of reproducing precisely whatever met his vision without the slightest previous 'arrangement' of detail, the painter's business being, not to pick and choose, but to render the effect before him, whatever it may be..." (E. Charteris, John Sargent, London, 1927, p. 77)
Thistles superbly demonstrates Sargent's fresh and original approach to plein air painting. Sargent's depiction of light, color and brushstrokes changed during this time. "By applying paint in perceptible strokes, the outlines of objects blurred and those objects merged without degrading it, enriching the color effects. Moreover, the multitude of touches and the contrasts among them suggested activity, vitality, and the scintillation and movement of light." (W. Adelson, Sargent at Broadway: The Impressionist Years, New York, 1986, p. 35)
A rich mix of color, textures and light, Thistles exhibits Sargent's early mastery of Impressionist techniques. Quick dashes of gold and green pigment and soft blue paint infuse the scene with a distinct afternoon light that highlights the imposing brick-red wall. Sargent's fascination with the effects of light was the result of his relationship with the Impressionist artists he knew in Paris. In Thistles, Sargent luxuriates in the effects of daylight, carefully observing and capturing its subtleties at a particular moment. The broad brushstrokes sweep through the grasses adding movement to the air. The spontaneity of the brushwork suggests that he was working quickly, as if racing to apply the paint before the setting sun was lost behind the horizon.
The landscapes that Sargent painted during his travels were created solely for his own pleasure, as he began to tire of the demands of portraiture. In what must have been a wonderful respite, plein air works such as Thistles afforded Sargent the opportunity to explore more experimental effects of light and perspective. The rich and subtle gradations of light, tone and texture give a sense of both volume and enclosure. Sargent's interest in the observation of light and broad use of color in Thistles anticipates the distinct style that would distinguish him as a premier nineteenth-century American artist.
This painting will be included in a forthcoming volume of the J.S. Sargent catalogue raisonné by Richard Ormond and Elaine Kilmurray, in collaboration with Warren Adelson and Elizabeth Oustinoff.
Sargent lived in Paris from 1874 to 1886. During this time, he worked with such Impressionist artists as Edgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and enjoyed a brief, close association with Claude Monet, whom he seems to have met as early as 1876 at the second Impressionist exhibition in Paris. Although his painting style differed from pure Impressionism in his darker palette, Sargent explored this style to its fullest while in France during the early 1880s. In the summer of 1883, Sargent visited his parents and sisters in Nice and while there, painted several landscapes of the area with broad brushstrokes and an earthy palette. These paintings, including Thistles, are closer to Monet's style than any of his others.
Sargent's working method at Nice was unusual for its day. According to Sargent's friend Edmund Gosse, the artist "was accustomed to emerge, carrying a large easel, to advance a little way into the open, and then suddenly to plant himself down nowhere in particular, behind a barn, opposite a wall, in the middle of a field...his object was to acquire the habit of reproducing precisely whatever met his vision without the slightest previous 'arrangement' of detail, the painter's business being, not to pick and choose, but to render the effect before him, whatever it may be..." (E. Charteris, John Sargent, London, 1927, p. 77)
Thistles superbly demonstrates Sargent's fresh and original approach to plein air painting. Sargent's depiction of light, color and brushstrokes changed during this time. "By applying paint in perceptible strokes, the outlines of objects blurred and those objects merged without degrading it, enriching the color effects. Moreover, the multitude of touches and the contrasts among them suggested activity, vitality, and the scintillation and movement of light." (W. Adelson, Sargent at Broadway: The Impressionist Years, New York, 1986, p. 35)
A rich mix of color, textures and light, Thistles exhibits Sargent's early mastery of Impressionist techniques. Quick dashes of gold and green pigment and soft blue paint infuse the scene with a distinct afternoon light that highlights the imposing brick-red wall. Sargent's fascination with the effects of light was the result of his relationship with the Impressionist artists he knew in Paris. In Thistles, Sargent luxuriates in the effects of daylight, carefully observing and capturing its subtleties at a particular moment. The broad brushstrokes sweep through the grasses adding movement to the air. The spontaneity of the brushwork suggests that he was working quickly, as if racing to apply the paint before the setting sun was lost behind the horizon.
The landscapes that Sargent painted during his travels were created solely for his own pleasure, as he began to tire of the demands of portraiture. In what must have been a wonderful respite, plein air works such as Thistles afforded Sargent the opportunity to explore more experimental effects of light and perspective. The rich and subtle gradations of light, tone and texture give a sense of both volume and enclosure. Sargent's interest in the observation of light and broad use of color in Thistles anticipates the distinct style that would distinguish him as a premier nineteenth-century American artist.
This painting will be included in a forthcoming volume of the J.S. Sargent catalogue raisonné by Richard Ormond and Elaine Kilmurray, in collaboration with Warren Adelson and Elizabeth Oustinoff.