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In a Garden, Corfu

1909
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
In the autumn of 1909, Sargent spent six weeks on the island of Corfu with his sister Emily, her friend Eliza Wedgwood, and Wilfrid and Jane de Glehn. Jane (1873–1961), elegantly dressed in a white blouse, light blue skirt, and cashmere shawl, is the focal point of the composition. The triangular sweep of the skirt dominates the foreground and gives Sargent the opportunity to explore the effects of light and shade on the rich folds of pale fabric, using green, blue, gray, and mauve with touches of pink and white. The skirt was one that Sargent brought on his sketching trips from London for use in his figurative studies. Two unidentified figures are truncated and pushed to the far right and left edges of the canvas. The deliberate choice of costume and boldly painted sky draw attention to the artifice of the composition.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: In a Garden, Corfu
  • Artist: John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London)
  • Date: 1909
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 36 × 28 in. (91.4 × 71.1 cm)
    Framed: 48 in. × 40 1/4 in. × 3 1/2 in. (121.9 × 102.2 × 8.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: Private Collection
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing