A Capriote
- Original dimensions
- 63.18 x 76.83 cm
- Museum
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- Year
- 1878
Scene depicted
This canvas immerses us in the intimacy of a Venetian scene, where the dim lights dance on the water, creating an atmosphere that is both peaceful and mysterious. The composition illustrating a suspended moment reveals a tableau of daily life — a captured instant, a glance exchanged between the artist and his subject, his muse, like a gentle breeze on a spring afternoon.
Historical context
Created in 1878 in Venice, this painting is an iconic masterpiece of the Impressionist movement. Capturing the vibrant effervescence of the era, Une Capriote testifies to a deep passion for light and color, hallmarks of Sargent's work. At the heart of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston , this canvas , full of life and poetry, presents itself in all its splendor of 63.18 x 76.83 cm.
Place in the artist's career
“Une Capriote” represents a turning point in Sargent's career, illustrating his still-emerging but already bold style. Alongside Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose and El Jaleo , this painting stands out as a successful marriage of light and texture, foreshadowing a stylistic blossoming that would mark the rest of his work.
Anecdote
“The beauty that one sees is the beauty that one feels,” Sargent might have said while painting this canvas . Inspired by the serenity of the Venetian canals, he was able to capture a fleeting moment where the soft sounds of gondolas gliding on the water and the chords of a mandolin floating in the air still resonate. This feeling of escape is intimately linked to the evocative power of Une Capriote .