Magnolias 1912

John Singer Sargent made this watercolor, Magnolias, sometime around the turn of the century. The way he's slapped on the color, it’s all about speed and intuition. You can feel him responding to the moment! The whole thing is like a blurry memory. The surface has this incredible immediacy, with loose washes and bold brushstrokes. Look at how he’s captured the light filtering through the leaves. Those quick flicks of white and yellow—it's like he's painting the light itself! It’s mostly transparent but built up in layers; those colors really glow when you look at the piece up close. There’s this spot, right in the middle, where the blossoms seem to be almost dissolving into the dark background. It's like the painting is breathing. Sargent's approach here reminds me a lot of late Monet, just grabbing the feeling of a fleeting moment. And just like Monet, there’s no clear story, it’s all about impressions. In the end, maybe that's the most interesting story of all.