Flotsam and Jetsam 1908

John Singer Sargent made this watercolor, Flotsam and Jetsam, and the way he lays down those transparent washes, it's like he's chasing after the light. The whole thing feels so fleeting, like a memory. Look at how the blues and browns bleed into each other, creating this sense of depth and movement. You can almost feel the water lapping at the shore. The textures! He gets so much with so little. It's like he's whispering secrets with his brush. There's this one dark, juicy stroke that defines the edge of that broken boat, and it just sings. It's confident, but also vulnerable, like he's not afraid to let the paint do its thing. It reminds me a little of Winslow Homer’s watercolors, that same love of the sea and the way it can swallow you whole. Sargent isn’t trying to give us answers. It’s all about the questions, you know?