Sargent's enduring popularity has prompted a thoughtful reappraisal by prominent art critic Carter Ratcliff, who shows us the surprising breadth of his art -- the extravagant glamour of his portraits, the exuberance of his watercolors, the stately pomp of his murals. It is perhaps the watercolors, reproduced here with sparkling fidelity, that are most exciting to contemporary eyes -- bold, spontaneous, and vividly hued, they capture his subjects with breathtaking immediacy.