Thistles
1883–89
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
55.9 × 71.8 cm (22 × 28 1/4 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
145807
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
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 ...
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...