The Great Fountain of Bologna 1906

John Singer Sargent made this watercolour, The Great Fountain of Bologna, most likely en plein air. I imagine him standing there, brush in hand, trying to capture the light as it flickers across the sculpted forms. Look at the way the pigment pools and flows, creating these soft, blurred edges! It’s as if the fountain itself is dissolving into the humid Bolognese air. There's a real sense of movement here, a fleeting impression caught on paper. Sargent’s mark-making has a confidence and speed to it. Think of the artist trying to keep up with the changing conditions, mixing washes of earthy browns, ochres, and blues to suggest the play of light and shadow on the stone. The more you look, the more the fountain comes alive! It reminds me of Turner, but with a drier touch. These guys are all in constant conversation through paint.