The Salute, Venice c. 1904 - 1907

John Singer Sargent conjured up this vision of Venice in watercolour. The painting feels so free, light washes of blue and white suggesting both the solidity of the architecture and the fleeting skies behind it. Imagine him standing there, rapidly capturing the scene, making decisions on the fly. What to include, what to leave out. It must have been a challenge, working with a medium as unforgiving as watercolour. One wrong move and you have to start again. But the looseness is the key, isn’t it? That’s what makes it so fresh. Look at how he’s suggested the ornate details with just a few flicks of the brush. I can almost feel the sun on those white walls. It reminds me that painting is really about seeing, thinking, and feeling all at once. And that every mark carries its own intention, every color its own mood. We all owe a debt to the artists of the past.