Thistles

Art Institute of Chicago

Thistles

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925)LinkedCulture matchlcp-d213789b5ca9

Date
1883–89
Medium
Oil on canvas
Culture
England
Department
Arts of the Americas
Institution
Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID
145807

Thistles captures the tangled movement of the windblown plants in light and shadow. Executing this work in rural England (or possibly in Nice, France), John Singer Sargent experimented with broken brushwork and a vibrant palette. The landscape composition is remarkably abstract, and the dynamic patterning of the thistles asserts the flatness of the picture plane rather than a sense of depth. Beginning in 1885, Sargent spent more time painting out of doors, exploring the techniques and subjects of Impressionism, inspired by a growing friendship with Claude Monet. He continued painting en plein air throughout his life, a practice that provided needed respite from his busy schedule as an acclaimed portraitist.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line
Gift of Brooks McCormick
Provenance
Artist's sale, Christie's, London, 24 and 27 July 1925, lot 198, sold to David Croal Thomson of Barbizon House, London; Charles Deering, Chicago; by descent to his daughter, Marion Deering (Mrs. Chauncey McCormick), 1927; by descent to her son Brooks McCormick, 1965; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1996.

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Object type
AAT300033618

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