The Black Brook

A luminous plein-air painting from Sargent's landscape period, c.1908. A young woman (believed to be his niece Rose-Marie Ormond) reclines on a grassy bank beside a dark, reflective brook. Her white dress creates a luminous focal point against rich greens and deep shadows.

Sargent had largely turned away from society portraiture, spending summers painting in the Alps and English countryside with his sisters' families between 1906-1913.

Purchased by the Tate in 1935, representing the more intimate and experimental side of an artist known for grand society portraits.