In a Levantine Port

In keeping with his approach to port subjects, Sargent offered no particularities of place in this scene but instead lavished his attention on the vibrant colors of reflected light and cast shadows that play across the rust-stained white hulls and the network of masts, spars, and riggings. He seems to have reveled in the transparency of the watercolor medium, which allowed the white of the paper to add a particular brilliance to scenes such as this one.