Orestes Pursued by the Furies 1921

John Singer Sargent created this mural of Orestes pursued by the Furies, but I can’t tell you exactly when or where! The palette here is all over the place: peaches, reds, and greens are slathered on to illustrate a chase. The brushwork is all about the feel of the moment, not detail. It’s about the process of feeling and recording panic and fear. I notice how the background is painted to create a sense of depth, pulling you into the scene. The textures are rough and raw, especially in the figures’ faces, as though Sargent is trying to capture the emotional turmoil through the materiality of the paint. The Furies' snakes are more like frenzied curls than defined serpents, a great example of how gesture can be more evocative than pure representation. This piece reminds me of Goya's darker works, where the grotesque and the psychological meet on canvas. Both artists create spaces where ambiguity reigns supreme, and multiple interpretations are not only possible but encouraged.