Sketching on the Giudecca 1904

John Singer Sargent made *Sketching on the Giudecca* with watercolor, and you can tell he worked fast. I can almost see him standing there, trying to capture the light as it flickers on the water. The color palette here is soft blues and browns, very impressionistic. The paint is thin, translucent, allowed to drip and pool, which helps to convey the movement and fluidity of Venice. Sargent's mark-making feels intuitive, like he’s responding to the scene in real time. He must have been standing on a boat when he made this painting. I imagine he was just trying to get a feel for the place. It’s so interesting to see how artists like him have influenced generations of painters, including me. We are all in conversation with each other, across time, in this amazing exchange of ideas and ways of seeing.