Venetian Canal 1903

John Singer Sargent made this watercolour of a Venetian canal, and it's like a fleeting moment captured in paint. The strokes are loose, almost like he’s trying to catch the light as it dances on the water, which is such a painterly thing to do. Look at how the buildings seem to emerge from the paper in shades of ochre and blue! The paint is thin, so transparent in places you can still see the paper. This lets the white of the ground function as light itself. Then notice the dark, decisive strokes under the bridge. It's just a few flicks of the wrist, but it gives the whole piece structure, you get the sense of how the physical act of painting becomes an emotional expression, with each brushstroke almost like a little heartbeat. Think of someone like Turner, who also used watercolour to convey atmosphere, but Sargent brings a touch of modern immediacy. It’s like he’s saying, "Here’s Venice, but more than that, here’s how it *feels*." It’s more of a question than an answer, and that's the beauty of art, isn't it?