Painting Techniques of John Singer Sargent

No other artist is brought up in my classes more often than John Singer Sargent. His work is both realistic and painterly, with fresh loose brushwork somehow capturing stunning depth and clarity.

Stand back from a Sargent painting and everything looks perfectly described and placed. But up close, frankly, the work can look a mess.

Examples of John Singer Sargent Paintings

Take the following close up as an example: 

It doesn't appear much, if any, blending was done here. Some brush marks are laid down dry and thin, while others are thick, chunky marks still bearing the impression of the brush. In my experience, just about every student (and probably myself, too) would want to get in here to blend and smooth edges.

Here's the painting zoomed out:

La Carmencita by John Singer Sargent

The messy brushwork captures the layers of embroidery, beadwork, and transparent fabric laid over the gold skirt. Nothing needs blending here, and furthermore blending would likely lead to a mushier and less lively result.

Following is probably my favorite example: 

It amuses me that this image appears to be blurry photo, as if I was moving when I took it. However, if you look closely at the clearer edges, you will see that it's a completely in-focus representation. The loose brushwork conveys movement of the subject and of the light bouncing of the multitude of reflective surfaces.

Here's the full painting:

Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent

How to Create Fresh Brushwork in Your Paintings

Shifting to the idea of how to create loose and lively paintings: We often imagine that these marks were applied rapidly and with a lot of energy. I can't count how many students have tried to 'loosen up' by working quickly from intuition, only to be disappointed that their work is soon muddy and without form.

This is because they've not been thoughtful and intentional, leading to applying an incorrect color in the wrong place, followed by another incorrect color on top of that, along with some mindless blending, and so on and so forth.

The key to Sargent's confident brushwork and stunning accuracy boils down to presence and intention.

Being too close to the canvas distorts the view of the whole, so it's important to make decisions while standing back from the painting. From this distant position, all decisions are carefully made. More time is spent standing back and considering the next move than is actually spent with the brush on the canvas.

Study of a Flower by Lacey Swift (That's me!)

In the video at the top of this page, you can see that I have a position away from the easer. What you can't see (due to video editing) is that before I leave that spot to approach the canvas and paint, I spend a lot of time mixing and assessing the appropriate color and making a plan for the exact placement and shape of the brush mark I will make. Then, I just make that mark as planned before again backing away from the canvas.

It can be tempting while at the canvas to look at the reference or model for more information, tinker with the edges of the brush marks, or find other places to add the color loaded on the brush. But with each additional stroke of the brush the intentionality diminishes, colors become muddy, edges mushy.

Taking Sargent's approach will not only help you achieve beautiful brushwork and fresher color relationships, but it will improve your design and proportion because it forces you to spend more time looking and observing. The more time you spend actually noticing the shapes and colors of your subject, the more information you will have gathered to express on your canvas. Instead of leaning on what's in your head, what you think you know about what your subject looks like, you'll create space for what's actually there in front of you.

Class: J. S. Sargent Oil Painting Techniques

If you'd like to give this approach a try, I happen to have a class on John Singer Sargent Oil Painting Techniques coming up August 15th, 2026. If when you read this the class time has passed, you can check to see if it's available recorded or if another session is coming in the future!

I hope you found this blog and video inspiring!

Happy Painting,

Lacey