Cecily Homer 1910

John Singer Sargent made this oil painting, Cecily Homer, sometime around the turn of the century. Look at the marks he's making, they’re all these dashes and commas of paint. He really understood how to let the process be visible! The way he builds up the form of her white dress with all these visible brushstrokes is really something. It’s like he’s not trying to hide anything, he’s just laying it all out there. And that dark background, it's not just black, it’s full of subtle shifts in tone, a real deep space, which makes the figure really pop. Take a look at the way he’s handled the ruff around her neck. See how the brushstrokes are almost like individual petals or feathers, really capturing the lightness and airiness of the fabric. It feels really intimate, not formal at all, even though it's a portrait. Sargent’s approach reminds me of Manet, in the way he captures a likeness without getting too fussy or detailed. It's a conversation, this painting thing, always has been!