This work is rightly recognized as one of Sargent’s best works of all time. So let’s dive in and learn how this masterpiece was created.
The artist
Sargent is an American painter who mostly worked in Europe and is best known for his stunning portraits. His style is clearly recognizable by the visible brushstrokes, so painterly yet able to conjure the illusion of reality perfectly.
When he started Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, the American painter had just recently moved to London after the scandal caused by the exhibition of Madame X at the Paris Saloon in 1884. This portrait was far too ahead of the time and was criticized for being too provocative and suggestive. I’m going to dedicate another blog post to the history behind this work of art, because it is incredibly fascinating and gives an interesting insight to not only Sargent’s personality, but also society of the time.
After the boat trip, Sargent stayed at Frank Millet’s house in the Costwolds, where many artists were living together. This environment certainly inspired Sargent to keep up with his work despite the many difficulties he encountered. On the side is a picture taken of him working on this painting.
The inspiration behind this artwork
For this painting, Sargent drew inspiration from a boat trip he took on the river Thames, during which he saw Chinese lanterns hanging from tree branches. He was immediately struck by the scene that he described to a friend of his as a paradisiac sight. We can only imagine the beautiful scene that lay before his eyes back then, but we’re lucky enough to be able to feel as struck as he was when looking at “Carnation, lily, lily, rose”.
Sargent was vey adamant about recreating the light effect that had drawn his eyes to the scene and therefore only painted a few minutes everyday. Because the only time where the lighting and the atmosphere was exactly how he had pictured was in the evening, just as the sun started to set. In addition to this inconvenience, some of his friends soon realized that more often than not he would scrape out his work, not satisfied enough with how it had turned out. As a result the painting took very long to complete and he worked on it from September 1885 to November and then started reworking on it in 1886 completing it in November.
The painting process
Initially Sargent had thought about using Frank Millet’s daughter Katharine as a model. However, when he saw Barnard’s daughters Polly and Dorothy he changed his mind. Perhaps because their hair was much lighter than Katharine’s and would have therefore suited the color composition he had in mind more.
The little girl on the right is Polly, only seven years old had the time, and on the left is her older sister Dorothy who was eleven. Sargent had carefully studied their poses and on the side you can see some charcoal sketches that were probably done after the completion of the painting and which he gifted his two models. In fact, the two little girls didn’t really enjoy posing for the painter because it forced them to renounce to the last game of the day. Sargent was very well aware of how annoying it was for them and therefore always brought sweets to give the little girls as a sign of gratitude.
Study of Polly Barnard in pencil circa 1885
The creation of this painting showed not only Sargent’s talent, but also his care in planning and bringing about his vision on canvas. He even replaced the real flowers of the garden with fake ones to continue his work when Autumn approached. In his sketches we can see he had tried out a few different compositions before settling on this one. Furthermore, he actually cut out around sixty centimeters of the left side of the canvas because he wasn’t satisfied with the composition and the focal point, which is the lantern Dorothy is holding.
Study for Carnation, lily, rose by John Singer Sargent Oil on Canvas 1885
The color palette
The whole painting is an astonishing contrast between light and dark and warm and cool colors. The almost orange like coming out of the lanterns contrasts with the purplish light of the sunset and the deep grass that surrounds the scene. The two little girls are dressed in white, the same color of the lilies above their heads. As a result, their clothing mirrors this play of warm and cool colors and the lilies in the background creating a more dynamic and appealing composition.
Final thoughts
The delicacy of this scene makes me very self-conscious, too afraid to move or even breath because I could disturb this sacred moment. Chinese lanterns traditionally symbolize a wish for a better future by letting go of one’s past. I can’t help but feel that by letting children with their purity lighting the candles Sargent wanted to speak to something inside of us, or maybe himself. Among the darkness of an already grown and flourishing garden are the two little girls, holding in their hands their future in a holy ceremony only they can attend. They are so immersed in what they’re doing that we can’t see their eyes which intensifies the feeling of being an observer alien to the scene. There is a feeling of hope and tenderness in this work that inevitably draws me in.
Do you feel the same way?
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Sources
- https://www.thingsiliketoday.com/carnation-lily-lily-rose-di-john-sargent/
- https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/sargent-carnation-lily-lily-rose-n01615
- https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-40-summer-2017/story-artwork-john-singer-sargent-carnation-lily-rose-elaine-kilmurray
- “Sargent” by Alberta Giugnoli and published by Giunti in the series Art Dossier
