Campo Dei Gesuiti 1902

Here's John Singer Sargent's impression of Campo Dei Gesuiti in Venice. He made it using watercolour. Look at the way he built up those washes, like the buildings slowly emerging from the light. I can imagine him there, soaking up the scene, trying to catch the fleeting atmosphere of a Venetian afternoon. You can almost feel the sun beating down on the square, the shadows stretching and distorting the shapes of the buildings. There's a sense of lightness, a sort of joyful rendering of the scene. Watercolour, especially for someone like Sargent, who was known for his society portraits, seems like a breather, a chance to loosen up and experiment with color and form. It's like he's saying, "Let's not overthink it, let's just paint what we see and feel," a bit like what I try to do with my paintings.