A Spanish Interior 1903

John Singer Sargent made this ‘Spanish Interior’ with watercolour on paper sometime in his career. The blurry quality makes me think about process: decisions made and then made again, covered over, adjusted as he went. Watercolour can be so unforgiving, but he makes it look easy. Look at how the colours run together, like he applied them wet-on-wet, letting the pigments bleed and mingle. Up close, it’s just blotches and smears, but from a distance, it creates this amazing sense of depth and atmosphere. The texture of the paper probably played a big part too, soaking up the paint in unpredictable ways. See the way he renders light, how it catches the edge of the lamp and the white jug? It's like he's chasing after the fleeting effects of light and shadow, trying to capture a momentary glimpse of reality. For me, this piece has something of Whistler about it, a tonal quality and interest in the everyday. But Sargent brings his own energy and flair for capturing the mood of a place. It's loose, informal and intimate.