John Singer Sargent - THE GIUDECCA (A SUMMER DAY ON THE GIUDECCA, VENICE)

John Singer Sargent

1856 - 1925

signed John S. Sargent (lower right); also inscribed Mrs. W. Shakespeare/Mansfield Lodge/Hamilton Terrace N.W. on the reverse

watercolor on paper

13 3/4 by 19 1/4 inches

(34.9 by 48.9 cm)

Executed circa 1907.

Instead of layering multiple colors as he often did in his watercolors, here Sargent laid in colors almost individually and side by side, creating an impressionistic appearance, especially in the water. This work was painted in mostly translucent washes and without the addition of any zinc white paint. Sargent used a tool, possibly the end of his brush, to scratch white lines on the hull of the sailing boat at left. More

John Singer Sargent (January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings. His oeuvre documents worldwide travel, from Venice to the Tyrol, Corfu, the Middle East, Montana, Maine, and Florida. More