Santa Maria della Salute 1913

John Singer Sargent painted Santa Maria della Salute with oil on canvas, we don't know exactly when. Look at the brushstrokes of warm light, how they dance on the façade of the Salute, picking out every detail of the renaissance architecture. You can almost feel the sun on your face, the air of Venice in your lungs. Sargent, that clever, clever boy, makes it all feel so effortless, but you know he's considered every single dab of paint, every tone and shadow. It’s a painting of careful, deliberate seeing. I bet he stood there, squinting at that damn building, palette in hand, trying to capture that Venetian light. Did he struggle? Of course! We all do. Sometimes I want to throw my brushes at the canvas and start all over again. But he stuck with it, wrestling with the weight of art history, with the legacy of light and color. Think of Turner and Whistler. Sargent continued their conversation with color.