Landscape with Figures, 1904 (from Sketchbook0 1904

Mary Newbold Sargent made this watercolor, Landscape with Figures, in 1904, and it’s currently in the Metropolitan Museum. This piece feels like a quick study, like a visual note jotted down while traveling. There's a beautiful, almost casual, use of watercolor washes. The landscape is rendered with these broad strokes, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. It's all about capturing a feeling, a moment, rather than a detailed depiction. I’m drawn to the way Sargent uses the watery quality of the medium, allowing the pigments to flow and blend, creating soft edges and subtle gradations. Look at how the mountains in the background fade into the sky – it’s pure atmosphere. This reminds me of Turner's landscapes, where the materiality of paint is used to convey the sublime. But unlike Turner, Sargent has a lightness of touch that invites you into the intimacy of her personal vision. It's like we're glimpsing a fleeting memory.