Copy of a watercolor by John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent's watercolors are what compelled me to start learning how to paint in this medium. I copied this painting Sargent did of his sister, Violet Sargent (1885-1886), mainly to study the 'chromatic shadows'. The novice painter often assumes that shadows are grey, brown or just a neutral color, but in a painting like this one, color fills the shadows of that white dress. Sargent used just blues, pinks and purples for the shadows in this dress and that was my main focus in this copy; in attempting to paint those shadows as he did, I saw how beautifully he transitions from one color to the next all over the dress.  

The reverse of this painting is a poor attempt at a color gradient wash. My paint was mixed too thinly, resulting in pale colors. 

Size: 9"x12"

2025-06-J

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