Staircase in Capri by John Singer Sargent

Staircase in Capri - John Singer Sargent - Canvas Oil Painting

At a Glance

Staircase in Capri - John Singer Sargent - Canvas Oil Painting suits both traditional and modern interiors. As a fine art oil painting, it works as a standalone focal point or as part of a living room gallery wall, and unlike a print it is genuinely hand painted in oils.

The Story Behind the Painting

1878
Oil on canvas
Private collection.

In the summer of 1878, John Singer Sargent left his studio in Paris’s bohemian Latin Quarter and traveled to the Mediterranean island of Capri, located in Italy just outside the Bay of Naples. At the time of Sargent’s visit, Capri was still relatively unknown among European and American tourists, but was a popular destination for artists, attracted by its distinctive scenery and architecture. Sargent was twenty-two and at the beginning of what would be a remarkably successful career, having just completed four years of instruction under the French portrait painter, Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran. He took up residence at the Marina hotel, and for several weeks shared English artist Frank Hyde's studio space in the abandoned monastery of Santa Teresa.

Staircase in Capri conveys Sargent's interest in the contrast of tonal values and the effects of sunlight on architectural forms. As Erica Hirschler writes, "During his visit to Capri in 1878 and to North Africa in the winter of 1879-80, Sargent experimented with the geometry of architectural forms and with the play of light on white surfaces in a number of studies, but this spare and elegant composition is his most refined and abstract essay. A long flight of stone steps rising steeply upwards is painted from a very low viewpoint, with the branches of green vines entwined on a pergola against slight splashes of bright blue sky visible at the top. The shaft-like staircase is attenuated by the stark verticality of the design, and bright sunlight striking the flat, reflective surfaces makes sharp diagonal contrasts on the walls and throws patches of shadow onto the steps. The architecture occupies all but one segment of the picture space, making it essentially an arrangement in white, an astringent tonal exercise subtly registered in shades of pearl, silver and grey with hints of mauve and blue in the shadows. The picture’s tonal radiance and its formal preoccupation with the handling of white on white anticipates Fumée d’ambre gris [Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts]" (Elaine Kilmurray and Richard Ormond, eds., John Singer Sargent, Princeton, New Jersey, 1998, p. 71).

Staircase in Capri was first owned by Auguste Hirsch, a French artist with whom Sargent shared a studio in Paris in the late 1870s. It was later acquired by Pamela Harriman, who served as the United States Ambassador to France in the mid-1990s.

Collectors often choose this fine art image when searching for fine art oil painting that feels substantial rather than decorative or disposable.

Materials & Craftsmanship

Each canvas is painted entirely by hand with professional oil paints on artist-grade cotton canvas. No printing, giclée, or digital imaging is used at any stage, so the surface keeps the slight relief and color variation of real brushwork.

Product Details

• Genuine hand painted oil painting on premium artist canvas; no printing or digital imaging is used.
• Comes with a 2-inch unpainted margin on every side, ready for stretcher bars or a frame.
• We dispatch worldwide ourselves, so there are no middlemen in the chain.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 40 in, 24 X 48 in, 30 X 60 in, 36 X 72 in.
• Custom canvas dimensions are welcome for this fine art oil painting.
• We work with DHL, UPS, FedEx, USPS and additional couriers to keep delivery affordable.
• No-cost gallery stretching on wood bars, plus optional made-to-order framing.
• Before dispatch we email a digital proof so you can approve the finished canvas.

Styling & Placement

This fine art oil painting wall decor is equally at home in a residence, a boutique hotel, or a professional office. Its realist character makes it a safe, distinctive gift for anyone furnishing a living room.

Delivery, Sizes & Guarantee

Order Staircase in Capri as a hand painted oil painting on canvas and add lasting realist character to your living room. Custom sizes, a digital proof before dispatch, and secure worldwide shipping are included.