Study for 'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose'

Sargent's studies for 'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose' (the finished painting, 1885-86, now in the Tate) document one of the most beloved paintings in British art — a twilight garden scene depicting two children lighting Japanese lanterns among lilies and roses. The painting was famously worked on for two evenings each day during the brief autumn twilight, Sargent rushing out with his canvas the moment the light reached the exact condition he sought. The studies document this obsessive process — Sargent testing compositions, figures, and lighting effects in preparation for the moments of actual painting.

The study for this celebrated painting preserves the exploratory thinking behind one of the nineteenth century's most perfectly realized atmospheric effects. The twilight condition — the balance between fading daylight and the warm glow of lanterns — required exactly calibrated color decisions. Sargent's studies test the palette and handling that would create this unique light condition in the final work.