# In the Generalife

**John Singer Sargent** (American, 1856–1925)  
1912  
Watercolor, wax crayon, and graphite on white wove paper  
14 3/4 x 17 7/8 in. (37.5 x 45.4 cm) Mat: 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm) Framed (standard exhibition frame): 24 1/2 × 30 1/2 × 1 1/8 in. (62.2 × 77.5 × 2.9 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 15.142.8. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12116).

## About this work

A woman sits sketching in the gardens of the Generalife, the summer palace above the Alhambra in Granada, with companions nearby. Sargent painted the scene in 1912 on one of the working holidays he took with family and friends, during which he turned increasingly from formal portraiture to watercolour. The sparkling sunlight, rapid washes and touches of wax crayon, which resist the paint and keep the paper white, show his virtuoso command of the medium.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

John Singer Sargent painted this in 1912, aged 56. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Watercolour.** Pigment in gum arabic, thinned with water and laid in transparent washes. Nothing white is painted: the light is the paper showing through.
- **Graphite.** Pencil. Graphite has been used for drawing since the 1500s; in 1795 Nicolas-Jacques Conté mixed it with clay, so its hardness could be graded.

### [John Singer Sargent](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/john-singer-sargent)

American, 1856–1925; born in Florence; died in London

Sargent was born in Florence to American parents and grew up travelling across Europe. He trained in Paris under Carolus-Duran, and the scandal over his portrait Madame X at the 1884 Salon prompted his move to London, where he became the most sought-after society portraitist on both sides of the Atlantic. Around 1907 he largely gave up portrait commissions for watercolours made on his travels and for the murals he painted for the Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Watercolor
- Culture: American
- The artist was 56
- Real size: about 15 × 18 in (38 × 45 cm). The 12 × 16 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 20th century
- Subjects: Drawing, Women, Artists
- Colour: black
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/852.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/852/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/in-the-generalife-met-12116).