Pool in the Garden of La Granja 1912

John Singer Sargent captured the Pool in the Garden of La Granja with watercolors, at a time unknown. Look at how Sargent teases out the light here! He’s using the white of the paper to bounce the light back at us, making the whole scene feel luminous. The blues and greens of the foliage are laid down in these quick, transparent washes, but it’s the way he contrasts them with those warm, sunny yellows that really grabs you. Notice the water in the pool itself, a gorgeous, murky green, with dabs of darker pigment suggesting depth. It feels so immediate, like he just dashed it off in a few minutes, but it’s that spontaneity that makes it so alive. Sargent’s known for his portraits, but I find these landscapes even more revealing of his talent. He's like the cool uncle of Gerhard Richter, who also messes around with representation. Anyway, both show us that art is just an ongoing experiment.