Siena c. 1910

John Singer Sargent made this watercolour painting, Siena, and what grabs me right away is how he’s letting the paint do its thing, allowing for a certain looseness. It’s like he’s in a conversation with the medium. The colors in this piece, mostly muted purples, blues, and oranges, give it a dreamy quality. Looking at the surface, you can see the fluidity of the watercolor. It’s thin and transparent, which adds to the airy feel. Notice that central tower, how it pierces through the soft, cloud-like forms. It’s not just a depiction of a place, but also a kind of emotional weather. Sargent's work often plays with light and atmosphere, just as Turner did before him, but here, he’s also showing us the joy of painting itself. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing experiment, a dialogue across time.