Above Lake Garda at San Vigilio 1913

John Singer Sargent captured this boat on paper with watercolor. It’s all about the flow, isn't it? How the colors bleed into each other, creating a soft, almost dreamlike view. I love how Sargent uses these pale blues and yellows to create the illusion of light reflecting off the water and the sails. The paint is so thin, it’s like he barely touched the paper, letting the colors mix and mingle on their own. Look at the way the dark blues of the boat contrast with the bleached-out white of the stone pier, and how he’s used these short, broken strokes to define the shapes of the rocks. This reminds me a bit of Whistler, the way he suggests a scene rather than defines it. It’s all about capturing a mood, a feeling. Art isn't about answers, it's about the ongoing conversation between the artist, the artwork, and us.