1908, John Singer Sargent, Gathering Blossoms, Valdemosa -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: This lyrical painting comes from Sargent's two-month stay in Valldemossa on the Spanish island of Majorca. The painting's title misidentifies the activity of the scene. The so-called blossoms were probably fruit fallen from a fig tree above. The tree is recognizable by the shape as well as the brilliant yellow of its leaves, their color during the months of Sargent's autumn visit. Sargent's composition may have been influenced by his mural commission for the Boston Public Library, The Triumph of Religion (1890-1919), one panel of which features fig leaves. The painting's high vantage point effectively subverts the two figures to the dramatic overgrowth of tree roots that emphasizes the fertility of the natural environment.
1908, John Singer Sargent, Gathering Blossoms, Valdemosa -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: This lyrical painting comes from Sargent's two-month stay in Valldemossa on the Spanish island of Majorca. The painting's title misidentifies the activity of the scene. The so-called blossoms were probably fruit fallen from a fig tree above. The tree is recognizable by the shape as well as the brilliant yellow of its leaves, their color during the months of Sargent's autumn visit. Sargent's composition may have been influenced by his mural commission for the Boston Public Library, The Triumph of Religion (1890-1919), one panel of which features fig leaves. The painting's high vantage point effectively subverts the two figures to the dramatic overgrowth of tree roots that emphasizes the fertility of the natural environment.