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Portrait of Charles Deering

A work made of oil on canvas.

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  • A work made of oil on canvas.

Date:

1917

Artist:

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925)

About this artwork

Although best known for his portraits, John Singer Sargent was also an accomplished plein air (outdoor) painter. In this uncommissioned likeness of his longtime friend Chicagoan Charles Deering at his home in Florida, the artist harmonized portraiture and landscape, weaving the sitter into a tapestry of swift brushstrokes, warm and cool hues, and the area’s rich vegetation. Dressed in white, Deering relaxes in a cane chair with tropical foliage around him as well as views of boats and blue sky in the distance. Sargent stayed with Deering for two months in 1917 while spending considerable time painting outdoors in both oil and watercolor.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

John Singer Sargent

Title

Portrait of Charles Deering

Place

United States (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1917

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

Inscribed recto, lower left, in brown pigment: To My Friend / Charles Deering; signed and inscribed recto, lower right, in brown pigment: John S. Sargent Miami 1917.

Dimensions

72.4 × 53.3 cm (28 1/2 × 21 in.)

Credit Line

Anonymous loan

Reference Number

8.2002

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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