John Singer Sargent (Florence, 1856 - 1925, London)
Bus Horses in Jerusalem, 1905
Watercolor on paper , 40 x 52 cm (15 3/4 x 20 1/2 in.)
This horizontal watercolor painting shows a side-angle view of a series of work horses against an ochre background. This angle enables the viewer to see the repeating forms of the multiple backs of the horses. The horses are primarily white with added shades of tan and gray. The first horse to our left is seen from the shoulders back, with its tail swishing to our left. The head on the next horse turns to our right, almost nuzzling the horse next to it. The remaining horses are so close that their backs and tails are the only features that are distinct and clearly visible. The horse farthest to our right is either brown or in shadow. The corner of a fence or a corral is seen in the foreground to our right. In the corner below that is the inscription John S Sargent Jerusalem/1905.
Blue Room
Commentary
Horses have always fascinated artists. Here, Sargent renders these working horses with elegance and dignity. Less interested in the beauty of one single horse, Sargent chose an angle from which he was able to see the repeating forms of multiple backs. As Sargent stated in a letter to Isabella Stewart Gardner, he was drawn to the romantic appeal of the subject during a trip to the Middle East.
Source: Oliver Tostmann and Anne-Marie Eze, The Inscrutable Eye: Watercolors by John Singer Sargent in Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection, exhibition on view in the Museum's Fenway Gallery, October 31, 2013–January 20, 2014.
Source: Oliver Tostmann and Anne-Marie Eze, The Inscrutable Eye: Watercolors by John Singer Sargent in Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection, exhibition on view in the Museum's Fenway Gallery, October 31, 2013–January 20, 2014.