The Simplon 1919

John Singer Sargent made this watercolor painting of the Simplon, and it's all about how he lets the medium breathe. The washes aren't overworked, and the paper peaks through, adding this lightness and airiness. The way he's built up those mountains with layers of blues and purples feels so intuitive. It's like he's trusting the paint to do its thing, to blend and bleed and find its own form. And that ground, a mix of yellows and browns, it's so alive with texture! I'm drawn to the way the colors melt into each other; like the blues running into the snow-capped mountains. It reminds me of Turner, who also wasn’t afraid to let watercolor do its thing. Sargent embraces that same sense of freedom and experimentation, reminding us that art is often about the process, the journey of discovery, not just the end result.