1907
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy is a 1907 oil by John Singer Sargent, a American Impressionism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
The painting shows a couple standing near a fountain. They are surrounded by trees and a villa in the background. The couple is Wilfrid and Jane Emmet de Glehn, who were friends of the artist. The painting is interesting because it combines landscape and portraiture. Check out the technique of impasto to learn more about how the artist created the textures in this scene.
The year 1907 was a turning point for John Singer Sargent, as he daringly stepped away from his successful career as a portraitist in favor of plein air (outdoor) painting. This lively work aptly captures that moment of transition, combining landscape and portraiture in a composition that speaks to friendship and painterly pursuits while also celebrating color, surface, and fleeting effects of light and movement. The couple is Wilfrid and Jane Emmet de Glehn, professional artists and Sargent’s frequent traveling companions. Although The Fountain has the appearance of spontaneity, Sargent was…
John Singer Sargent, London, England, 1907; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1914.
Art Institute of Chicago, Twenty–fifth Annual Exhibition of American Oil Paintings and Sculpture, Nov. 5–Dec. 8, 1912, cat. 228. New York, Grand Central Art Galleries, Retrospective Exhibition of Important Works of John Singer Sargent, Feb. 23–Mar. 22, 1924, cat. 48. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Memorial Exhibition of the Work of John Singer Sargent, Jan. 4–Feb. 14, 1926, cat. 50. Dallas, Fair Park Gallery, 1933 Exhibition Showing the Changes in Painting for the Last Hundred Years in Europe and America , Oct. 7–22, 1933, cat. 76 (organized by the State Fair of Texas, Art Department).…
Read the full account in the museum source.
John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury.
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