This is one of my favorite paintings.
I discovered it whilst perusing the Tate in London during one of the recording sessions for the Steampunk Opera. it is by John Sargent who we shall feature today.
Painted in 1886, this painting took a year to paint since Sargent was determined to capture the exact light of just after dusk and thus could only paint for 20 minutes a day. He had two girls as models and would set up the exact scene every day, paint for 20 minutes when the light was just right, then fold it up and resume the following day.
The name, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose is after a hit song from 1885.
Sargent became the most celebrated portrait painter of his day, but since i don’t like portrait paintings, i’m not going to feature them here. Instead, i present some other highlights of his career:
El Jaleo:
El Jaleo is a shout (eLAYoh!) that comes at the height of some spanish dances like this one. Think “oLAY!”
Venetian Interior:
Gondolier’s Siesta:
An amazingly striking painting, Sargent’s reaction to the horror of WWI. Gassed:
Venice In Grey Weather:
Muddy Alligators:
Moraine:
Brenva Glacier:
The Chess Game:
Statue of Perseus By Night:
A Tyrolese Crucifix
Seascape:
In case you’re wondering where all the paintings from the 1890s are, that’s when Sargent made all his money doing portraits. TONS of portraits. He does have some nice impressionist work from that decade, but you can look that up your own. Til tomorrow…
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