Violet Sleeping 1908

John Singer Sargent made this watercolor called 'Violet Sleeping' which now lives at the Brooklyn Museum. The way he’s laid down these washes of color, it's like he's not just painting a picture, but conjuring a mood, right? Look at the brown tones swirling around her figure, how they bleed into the blues and violets of her dress. There is something ephemeral about the way he captures light and shadow. Notice those quick, fluid brushstrokes. You can almost feel the water moving across the paper. There's a particularly juicy stroke of violet under her chin which is especially evocative of the way skin absorbs light. The whole thing feels so immediate and alive. This piece reminds me a bit of how Manet used watercolor, capturing a fleeting moment with such grace and ease. 'Violet Sleeping' is a testament to the power of suggestion, the way art can evoke a feeling without spelling everything out.