The Giudecca

ca. 1904

Instead of layering multiple colors as he often did in his watercolors, here Sargent laid in colors almost individually and side by side, creating an impressionistic appearance, especially in the water. This work was painted in mostly translucent washes and without the addition of any zinc white paint. Sargent used a tool, possibly the end of his brush, to scratch white lines on the hull of the sailing boat at left. Typically, the darker browns at center and in the portholes are enriched with medium (possibly gum arabic), giving them a glossy appearance. The stickiness of the extra binder is evident from the brush hairs trapped in the paint.