Straße in Tanger
1895
John Singer Sargent captured the blinding North African sun in this spontaneous watercolor sketch of a narrow alley in Tangier. Notice how he brilliantly uses the white of the paper itself to represent the sun-baked walls, letting cool purple and blue shadows define the architecture and the archway ahead. It feels like you're walking through the street yourself, squinting against the bright light. Sargent was a master of capturing light and atmosphere on the go, often finishing these vibrant studies in a single sitting while perched on a stool right in the middle of the bustling street.
- Technique
- Watercolor
- Material
- Watercolor on paper