Site of Troy (from Sketchbook) 1904

This small watercolor, Site of Troy, comes from a sketchbook by Mary Newbold Sargent. It's all muted grays, a study in value. A very immediate kind of image making. It feels like Sargent was trying to capture not just a place, but also a feeling—a memory maybe. I really like how the water seems to bleed into the sky, like one big atmospheric wash. The mountains are just these jagged, dark shapes against the horizon. It’s all about how light can dissolve form. There's a real sense of softness, which is something that watercolor does so well. Look at the way she's captured the reflections on the water. It is really just a few horizontal strokes, but they really give you the sense of shimmering light. It's like Sargent is in conversation with someone like James Whistler, both artists mining a similar tonal, sensual terrain. Both inviting you to get lost in the process, in the act of seeing.