Spanish Midday, Aranjuez
Despite the loose brushwork and minimal detail in this watercolor, the site in Aranjuez, Spain, is identifiable. Writing to a friend, Sargent enthused about the town's "grand gardens with Cavernous avenues and fountains and statues, long neglected." In this view of the palace garden he displayed his ability to render forms with minimal effort. To suggest one of the distinctive stone benches, he delineated a few elements in graphite before applying pale washes to describe shadows of molding and ornament.
The following text appears in the entry for this work in: Stephanie L. Herdrich and H. Barbara Weinberg, "American Drawings and Watercolors in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: John Singer Sargent," New York, 2000. For references to sources and illustrations mentioned in this text, see that catalogue:
M. Elizabeth Boone identified the site in 50.130.81h as the park in front of the palace at Aranjuez, Spain, recognizable by the distinctive marble benches (notation, departmental files, American Paintings and Sculpture). Sargent visited Aranjuez about 1903 and again in 1912, when this composition probably was painted.
The prime attraction of Aranjuez, a former recreation site for the Spanish court, is its magnificent gardens. Sargent described the town in a letter to Charteris: "This place is perfectly charming, grand gardens with Cavernous avenues and fountains and statues, long neglected-good natured friendly people-lunch in the open air under arbours of roses" (Charteris 1927, p. 171).
From the right of this bold composition, the cropped bench recedes dramatically toward the center of the sheet, which is dominated by foliage, broadly painted in intense shades of green. The bench itself, though painted in a cursory manner, remains identifiable. A few strokes are applied over a pale wash to suggest the shadows of molding and ornament. Details are delineated in graphite. A related watercolor, erroneously called both "Park at Versailles" and "Garden, Villa Borghese" but depicting the park of the palace at Aranjuez, shows the same marble benches against lush foliage from a greater distance (1912, private collection).
The following text appears in the entry for this work in: Stephanie L. Herdrich and H. Barbara Weinberg, "American Drawings and Watercolors in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: John Singer Sargent," New York, 2000. For references to sources and illustrations mentioned in this text, see that catalogue:
M. Elizabeth Boone identified the site in 50.130.81h as the park in front of the palace at Aranjuez, Spain, recognizable by the distinctive marble benches (notation, departmental files, American Paintings and Sculpture). Sargent visited Aranjuez about 1903 and again in 1912, when this composition probably was painted.
The prime attraction of Aranjuez, a former recreation site for the Spanish court, is its magnificent gardens. Sargent described the town in a letter to Charteris: "This place is perfectly charming, grand gardens with Cavernous avenues and fountains and statues, long neglected-good natured friendly people-lunch in the open air under arbours of roses" (Charteris 1927, p. 171).
From the right of this bold composition, the cropped bench recedes dramatically toward the center of the sheet, which is dominated by foliage, broadly painted in intense shades of green. The bench itself, though painted in a cursory manner, remains identifiable. A few strokes are applied over a pale wash to suggest the shadows of molding and ornament. Details are delineated in graphite. A related watercolor, erroneously called both "Park at Versailles" and "Garden, Villa Borghese" but depicting the park of the palace at Aranjuez, shows the same marble benches against lush foliage from a greater distance (1912, private collection).
Artwork Details
- Title: Spanish Midday, Aranjuez
- Artist: John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London)
- Date: 1903
- Culture: American
- Medium: Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper
- Dimensions: 10 x 14 in. (25.4 x 35.6 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Francis Ormond, 1950
- Object Number: 50.130.81h
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London)
1870
John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London)
1870
John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London)
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John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London)
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