A thought on Sargent

I think that a masterful painter makes every painting feel like a performance when you look at it. That from start to finish every inch of the canvas was something to get lost in, only to come out of it and be directed back to the purpose of the work. It's all a reflection of a mindset.

Sargent is the epitome of that sentiment for me. There have been more paintings I've seen by him, than any other artist so far, where I've felt that every brushstroke had had a distinct place in his mind before he put it down. Or he at least he aimed for it, but more than that it's a painters ability to breathe life into the work. Using his personality to capture the personality of the people or the scene he was painting.

It's that indescribable thing you can't figure out right away with good painting because it's inside of the gesture and particular movement of the paint somehow. I really think it's a kind of empathy towards working to understand everything about what you're looking at. It's the parts of the "art" that justify the romantic notion attached to actual artistry. A painting can be a symphony if the painter is able. In every work there can be a performance. I don't think the world will ever see a painter like Sargent again.