Portrait Sketch of Sir Frederick Alexis Eaton (1838 - 1913) 1913

Curator: We are looking at John Singer Sargent's sketch of Sir Frederick Alexis Eaton, housed here at Harvard. Note the artist's reduction of form through line. Editor: Yes, it's a fairly small sketch, but so evocative! What do you see in Sargent's marks? Curator: Notice the bold economy of line, the hatching that models form with almost scientific precision. Sargent deploys this to create a powerful study of volume and light. Editor: It's amazing how much information he conveys with so few strokes. I hadn't considered the geometry of it all. Curator: Indeed. The strategic placement of each mark is paramount. It's a calculated dance of dark and light. A formalist approach helps to decode this structural elegance. Editor: I’ve never thought of approaching a portrait this way before!