General Sir John Cowans 1920

John Singer Sargent painted this portrait of General Sir John Cowans in oil, and it's like watching him think on canvas. The brushstrokes are so visible, you can practically feel the speed of his decisions. Check out the face, how it emerges from the darker background. The paint isn't trying to hide; it's all about the gesture, the process. See that one quick stroke of red on his lapel? It's like a jolt of energy, a shorthand for detail that actually gives you more information than if it were carefully rendered. Sargent reminds me a bit of Manet, in that both were interested in painting as an act, not just a representation. This painting feels contemporary, like a conversation about how we see and what we choose to show. It's open-ended, refusing to give you all the answers, and that's what keeps it alive.