Pomegranates, Majorca 1908

John Singer Sargent painted these pomegranates, on Majorca with luscious strokes of the brush, just look at that red! I can almost feel the Mediterranean sun on my skin looking at this painting. The green leaves and ripe fruit seem to burst forth from the canvas. Imagine Sargent, squinting and sweating slightly, trying to capture the fleeting light as it catches the skin of the fruit. I wonder if he was thinking of Cezanne, who made paintings from a similar subject matter. You can see the influence in the way he simplifies form and focuses on colour. See how he uses thick daubs of paint to build up the texture of the leaves and fruit, while other areas are thinly glazed, allowing the warm ground to peek through. Painters have been in conversation for centuries, trading ideas and techniques across time. And each artist brings something unique to the table, don’t they?