A Spanish Interior 1903

John Singer Sargent made ‘A Spanish Interior’ sometime around the turn of the century, probably in watercolor. I can see him standing there, squinting, brush in hand. The light in this interior filters and softens the colors, and he picks up on that, using fluid washes of browns, grays, and blues. It looks like he's trying to get the scene down fast, to capture the atmosphere. Notice how quickly he renders the figures. I love how he uses a light touch to suggest the objects hanging on the walls. It’s like he's saying, "Here’s the essence, the feeling of the place," rather than getting bogged down in details. For me, this piece relates to the work of other impressionist painters like Manet and Degas, who were also interested in capturing fleeting moments and everyday life. All these artists inspire each other's creativity, across time. Painting like this is just embodied expression: it embraces ambiguity, leaving space for our own interpretation, and reminding us there’s always more than one way to see things.