Purtud, Bed of a Glacier Torrent 1904

John Singer Sargent made this watercolor, 'Purtud, Bed of a Glacier Torrent', using paper and brushstrokes that feel like they’re playing with light itself. You get the sense that he was interested in the act of painting as much as in capturing the scene before him. The texture is so alive, like he’s not just showing us the rocks and water, but also the grit, the dampness, the cool air. Look at the way he renders the shadows, almost like he’s flicking the paint on with a nervous energy. He builds up these layers that give it depth, a real sense of place. There's a spot, right in the middle where the water rushes by a small log, that feels like the whole painting is swirling around it, like it’s the heart of this little world. Sargent’s watercolors remind me of what Whistler was doing in his nocturnes, trying to find a new language for painting. It’s less about what things look like and more about how they feel to be seen.