The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
71.4 × 56.5 cm (28 1/8 × 22 1/4 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
69780
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
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 f...
Art Historical Context
John Singer Sargent's *The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy* (1907) captures the shimmering allure of a grand Renaissance fountain in the lush gardens of Villa Torlonia, a 19th-century estate near Rome. Painted during Sargent's extensive travels through Italy, this oil on canvas reflects his shift in later career from formal portraits to vibrant landscapes, embracing the sunlight and atmospheric beauty of Mediterranean settings. At 71.4 × 56.5 cm, the intimate scale invites viewers into a moment of serene elegance, evoking the villa's historical role as a retreat for Roman nobility. Sargent, an American expatriate master of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, infused the work with his signature Impressionist-influenced techniques: loose, fluid brushstrokes that dance across the water's surface, brilliantly conveying reflections, spray, and dappled light filtering through foliage. Oil on canvas allowed him to layer translucent glazes for luminous depth, a hallmark of his outdoor plein-air experiments. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of the Americas collection, this piece highlights Sargent's enduring fascination with Italy's cultural heritage, bridging transatlantic tastes and celebrating the timeless poetry of classical gardens. A delightful glimpse into Edwardian-era wanderlust!
About the Artist
John Singer Sargent · 1856–1925
John Singer Sargent, born on January 12, 1856, in Florence to American expatriate parents FitzWilliam Sargent, an eye surgeon and medical illustrator, and Mary Newbold Singer, an amateur artist, enjoyed a nomadic childhood across Europe. His mother nurtured his artistic inclinations with sketchbooks and museum visits, while he received early watercolor lessons from German landscape painter Carl We...