John Singer Sargent (Florence, 1856 - 1925, London)
Cafe Scene, Seville, 1879
Graphite on paper, 23.9 x 33 cm (9 7/16 x 13 in.)
This horizontal graphite sketch on brown-toned paper shows a couple seated at a table in a café. A woman is at the edge of the table to our left, shown in profile. She is leaning over the tabletop with her right arm extended and her left arm bent up toward her face. Her dark hair is arranged in a bun. She has a garment draped over her shoulders with thick stripes that falls to the floor. Across from her, seated behind the table, is a loosely sketched male figure wearing a dark hat and long coat. His left hand rests on his left temple, as leans his head on it. His right arm is outstretched behind a carafe on the table, extending toward the woman’s right hand. The couple appear to be clinking glasses at the center of the table. The artist signed the sketch “John S. Sargent, Seville.” in graphite at the upper right.
Short Gallery
Commentary
John Singer Sargent traveled to Spain eight times, once as a child and seven times as an adult. He took his first extended (adult) trip there in 1879. In the wake of that journey, he created his most famous Spanish painting: El Jaleo, which Isabella ultimately bought and displayed prominently in her museum—where it remains on view today. This sketch—and the sketchbook it is part of—was probably completed on-site during his travels in 1879.