General Sir John Cowans 1920

Here's John Singer Sargent's oil on canvas of General Sir John Cowans. I bet Sargent stood close to the canvas, armed with a brush loaded with brown, red and white paint, trying to capture something of the man’s essence. There’s something about the quick, confident strokes that I admire. Look at the economy of detail. Sargent knew exactly where to place each dab of paint to create form, light, and shadow. It’s like he’s having a conversation with the canvas, responding to each stroke with another, building up the image layer by layer. You can almost feel the weight of history in those broad strokes, the weight of tradition, and the pressure to capture the likeness of a man who held a position of power. That red on his epaulettes. It's alive! Sargent’s paintings always remind me that we painters are all in an ongoing conversation, building on each other's discoveries, challenging each other's assumptions, and pushing the boundaries of what painting can be.