Sellar Alp, Dolomites c. 1913 - 1914

John Singer Sargent made this watercolour painting of the Sella Alp in the Dolomites. It’s a feast of soft washes, where greens and purples blend across the paper. The paint is applied so thinly, it’s almost like looking through coloured glass. You can practically feel the wetness of the brush as it glides across the surface. Look at the way Sargent suggests the distant mountains with just a few strokes of ochre and blue. Each mark is so light and airy, it’s like a whisper of colour. It’s interesting that Sargent, known for his portraits, could be so loose and experimental in his landscapes. There’s a connection here with painters like Bonnard, who also explored the boundary between observation and abstraction. But Sargent's touch is all his own, a reminder that art is about the ongoing exchange of ideas, not fixed meanings.