Descriptif du lot
Throughout Sargent’s extensive travels in Venice, the city’s architecture raptly captured his artistic attention. The present work was completed in the Italian city after he first encountered its timeless beauty in 1870 at the age of fourteen. He returned for a dedicated painting campaign in the early 1880s, and from 1898 to 1913, Sargent would visit the city almost every year.
Executed in the early years of the 20th century, Campo dei Gesuiti illustrates Sargent’s ongoing fascination with the juxtaposition of modern life in a historical city. Figures populate the street, many lingering in the shade, finding respite from the blaring sunlight. Sargent depicts the surrounding architecture in a subdued palette that highlights his signature Impressionistic brushwork.
Campo dei Gesuiti is a square in the northern region of Venice, named after the church of the Gesuiti, the façade of which cannot be seen from Sargent’s selected viewpoint. Instead, he depicts a south-facing perspective that highlights the Ponte dei Gesuiti, the bridge at center. Rather than focusing on the grand church, Sargent keenly closes in on the daily activity of the vibrant square.
The present work is one of six Venetian watercolors that belonged to Ferdinand Joseph Conway Wertheimer, son of art dealer and one of Sargent’s most significant patrons, Asher Wertheimer.
Executed in the early years of the 20th century, Campo dei Gesuiti illustrates Sargent’s ongoing fascination with the juxtaposition of modern life in a historical city. Figures populate the street, many lingering in the shade, finding respite from the blaring sunlight. Sargent depicts the surrounding architecture in a subdued palette that highlights his signature Impressionistic brushwork.
Campo dei Gesuiti is a square in the northern region of Venice, named after the church of the Gesuiti, the façade of which cannot be seen from Sargent’s selected viewpoint. Instead, he depicts a south-facing perspective that highlights the Ponte dei Gesuiti, the bridge at center. Rather than focusing on the grand church, Sargent keenly closes in on the daily activity of the vibrant square.
The present work is one of six Venetian watercolors that belonged to Ferdinand Joseph Conway Wertheimer, son of art dealer and one of Sargent’s most significant patrons, Asher Wertheimer.