Sierra Nevada by John Singer Sargent

Sierra Nevada - John Singer Sargent - Canvas Wall Art

At a Glance

Sierra Nevada by John Singer Sargent is one of those images that never dates. Our studio recreates it as a hand painted oil painting — textured, color-rich, and ready to hang as canvas wall art in a home office, study, or reception area.

The Story Behind the Painting

1912
Oil on canvas
55.88 cm (22 in.) x 64.77 cm (25.5 in.)
Amgueddfa Cymru, Cardiff, United Kingdom.

Hills and mountains roll out across the canvas. The green hill of the foreground is dotted with goats, their faces turned away and looking out at the view. To the left, the hill descends into yellow, more brown and green defining the mountains further away. A blue sky opens above the horizon, white snow-capped mountains in the distant background.

What does it mean?

We’re coming back to landscape, my friends! What better time to spend some time looking at a beautiful, peaceful view of the outdoors, right?

I remember coming across this in Wales and having a sense of recognition. I’m from the Western US, and something about the scene felt weirdly familiar. The camp that I work at also has a strange obsession that I cannot explain with goats, so I was immediately drawn to them at first. Yes, I sent a picture of this painting to a friend just because it had goats in it. Moving on.

After exclaiming (mostly in my head and maybe only a little bit of audible squealing) at the goats, I kept looking as I noticed the depth that the artist had created. The use of light and shadow emphasize the space between each mountain peak, even though we are able to see so many of them in this one point of view. The colors create layers of plants and life that were painted in brushy, indistinct gestures so as to make them unidentifiable. The yellow hills to the left have tiny trees or shrubs, so small and far away to appear insignificant. On the other hand, the mountains almost feel more imposing with the greater distance between us and them.

The goats that litter the foreground primarily look away from us the viewer, and the few that look back lack eyes or specific facial expression to imply how we are viewed. As the viewer, are we invading the space of these goats in the mountains? Are we welcome additions to the space? Are they indifferent to our presence, to that of the artist? I like to think they are a little indifferent based on the distance between our viewpoint and the goats as subjects. But I also hope there was at least one goat who tried to eat some of the canvas or other materials Sargent had with him while sketching or even painting this canvas outside, en plein air.

The fine art subject is rebuilt stroke by stroke in oil, giving the finished canvas the depth expected of realist oil painting wall decor.

Materials & Craftsmanship

We use a 100% hand-painted process: stretched artist-grade canvas, layered oil pigment, and a final protective varnish. There are no inkjet prints or mechanical reproductions in this collection — just a painted fine art artwork made to order.

What Is Included

• Genuine hand painted oil painting on premium artist canvas; no printing or digital imaging is used.
• Supplied with a 2-inch blank border on all four sides for flexible home office display options.
• Sold studio-direct and shipped worldwide, with no intermediary markup.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 24 in, 24 X 36 in, 30 X 40 in, 36 X 48 in, 48 X 72 in.
• Custom sizes available: order this painting in your preferred dimensions.
• Choose from DHL, UPS, FedEx, USPS and other competitively priced carriers.
• Free professional stretching on wooden stretcher bars — contact us for framing options.
• You will receive a photo of your completed painting by email for sign-off prior to shipping.

Where to Hang It

Build a home office gallery wall around this fine art oil painting, or let it stand alone as a single statement. The hand painted canvas finish keeps the fine art composition looking intentional in both classic and contemporary rooms.

Ordering & Peace of Mind

Browse our John Singer Sargent Paintings selection for related fine art canvases, or commission this fine art image in a custom size. Every order is a hand painted oil painting, never a printed poster.