The Patio

Sargent was born in Italy, studied in France, and worked chiefly in England, but he never renounced his American citizenship. As a young man, Sargent achieved fame and wealth as a portraitist, but he gradually tired of painting wealthy, superficial aristocrats. In his later years he focused increasingly on watercolor. Along with Winslow Homer, Sargent was the major artist to develop a spontaneous approach toward watercolor. Rather than carefully layering his pigments, he dashed off his paintings in a single sitting, allowing the colors to freely blend together.
Inscription: VERSO, center, in orange crayon: 5/3 ; lower left, in black chalk: 4072 [circled, sideways]
Medium: watercolor with traces of gouache over graphite
Dimensions: Sheet: 53.2 x 34.6 cm (20 15/16 x 13 5/8 in.)
Credit Line: In memory of Ralph King, gift of Mrs. Ralph King; Ralph T. Woods, Charles G. King; and Frances King Schafer
Accesion Number: 1946.293
For full details please visit the collection website.