The Marlborough Family 1905

John Singer Sargent painted The Marlborough Family with oil on canvas, and he certainly wasn’t shy with the paint! Look at the sheer mass of the Duke’s robes, cascading down and pooling around his feet. The paint is thick and lush, almost sculptural, especially where the light catches the folds. Sargent's brushwork is confident, each stroke loaded with intention. Yet, there’s an immediacy, like he’s capturing a fleeting impression rather than a fixed image. Then there’s the dog; such a flurry of brushstrokes, a symphony of browns, whites, and creams, rendered with an almost abstract energy. It’s this combination of bravura technique and perceptive observation that makes Sargent such a compelling painter. I love seeing this in comparison to his earlier work, where you can really see him exploring Impressionism. He lets the painting breathe, embracing ambiguity over definition.