Leonard Wood 1903

This is John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Leonard Wood, and you can imagine Sargent there in the studio, moving the brush with fluid confidence, capturing the essence of Wood’s military bearing with those earthy tones, that deep brown like wet soil. I can almost feel the texture of the paint, how it’s built up in layers, thick in some spots and thin in others, all contributing to the overall presence of the figure. Look at the glints of gold on the epaulettes – it's like Sargent has bottled light there. Sargent was really interested in light. He knew how to make paintings glow. I'm wondering, what was Sargent thinking? Was he trying to capture Wood’s authority, his inner resolve, or something else entirely? Sargent was part of a larger conversation that included Manet and others, all exploring the possibilities of paint, all trying to get at something beyond mere representation. It's this ongoing exchange that makes painting so alive, so relevant, even now.