Three Boats in Harbor, San Vigilio

John Singer Sargent dedicated much effort to painting outdoors—a pursuit he thoroughly enjoyed—especially after 1907, when he stepped away from more time-consuming portraiture commissions. This canvas was painted on the shore of Lake Garda in Italy, where he traveled with friends and family in 1913. Sargent skillfully manipulated thick and thin applications of pigment to evoke rugged rock, reflective waters, fishing boats, and silhouetted figures, producing an airy and dynamic composition.