Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, c. 1885
John Singer Sargent
Oil on canvas · 153.7 x 174 cm
Two girls light paper lanterns in a garden painted only at dusk, over many evenings.
Two girls light paper lanterns among lilies and roses in the blue hush of dusk. Sargent painted it outdoors over many evenings, chasing a few minutes of fading light. The result glows like a memory — one of the most enchanting images of childhood.
What you're looking at
Sargent could only paint it for about twenty minutes an evening, in the few minutes when the light was right, so it took two summers and the flowers had to be replanted between them. The lanterns are Japanese paper. The girls are the daughters of a friend. The colour is almost entirely blue-green with the lantern light punched through it, which is exactly what dusk does to a garden.
On a Frame TV
About 8:9. Matted file — the clean crop takes the lilies at the bottom, which is half the title. Dim, cool and low in contrast: a picture for an evening room, and one that a bright wall washes out completely.
Tate · Visit it in London →
- 4K master file (3840px+)
- Samsung Frame TV–ready crop
- Phone wallpaper crop
- Printable art card
Public domain · one .zip, no sign-up
More like this
Other works in the collection, starting with John Singer Sargent.
