John Singer Sargent
American, born Italy, 1856 - 1925Garden Study of the Vickers Children, 1884
On view
Oil on canvas
Dimensions54 1/2 × 36 in. (138.4 × 91.4 cm)
Framed: 63 1/2 × 45 3/8 in. (161.3 × 115.3 cm)
Gift of the Viola E. Bray Charitable Trust via Mr. and Mrs. William L. Richards, 1972.47
In the summer of 1884, John Singer Sargent commenced work on this painting while on a visit to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Vickers in Sussex, England. Although many of Sargent's portraits are in the grand manner, he also excelled at more informal portraits. This composition, one of eleven portraits he painted of the Vickers family, depicts their children, Vincent and Dorothy, amidst stalks of lilies as they water the flowers in a seemingly spontaneous outdoor scene. It is executed in a naturalistic manner, with broad fluid brushstrokes and flat areas of undefined color.
Born in Florence, Italy, to American parents who had strong colonial roots in the Northeast, Sargent was a sophisticated expatriate who made his reputation by painting flattering portraits of the American and European upper classes. He had an exceptional natural technical mastery and keen powers of observation, which were polished by his exposure to international influences and training abroad.
