Sketch for 'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose'

Sargent's preliminary sketch for 'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose' — distinct from the more developed study — represents the earliest stage of his working through the visual problem. His working method for this painting was particularly intensive: the brief window of twilight light each day forced him to develop multiple versions as he refined his understanding of the atmospheric conditions and compositional elements. These preliminary sketches document a painter testing his approach before committing to the sustained effort of the final canvas.

The preliminary sketch stage is typically freer and more exploratory than the later study — the initial impression of the effect sought, the basic compositional arrangement, the first test of the color relationships that would make the final painting so celebrated. Sargent's sketches have the spontaneous freshness of genuine first encounter with the visual problem, before the more deliberate working of the subsequent studies.