Text says, Let there be inspiration! May this year take you on journeys of creativity. Happy Birthday Image is of female artist dressed in a white artist’s gown paints a plein aire landscape on an easel outside in a lush green garden by a fountain. A mustached man is seated beside her, relaxing and watching her paint. The era is early 1900’s. The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy Date: 1907 Artist: John Singer Sargent American, 1856–1925 ABOUT THIS ARTWORK The year 1907 was a turning point for John Singer Sargent, as he daringly stepped away from his successful career as a portraitist in favor of plein air painting. This strong and lively work aptly captures that moment of transition, combining landscape and portraiture in a composition that speaks to friendship and painterly pursuits while also celebrating color, surface, and fleeting effects of light and movement. The couple is Wilfrid and Jane Emmet de Glehn, professional artists and Sargent’s frequent traveling companions. Although The Fountain has the appearance of spontaneity, Sargent was frequently interrupted by rain as he worked. He thus completed it over several days, requiring his friends to pose at length. Art Institute of Chicago