Study for Hand of Standing Soldier Grasping Bayonet, for "Death and Victory," Widener Library, Harvard University 1921 - 1922

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent’s study for "Hand of Standing Soldier Grasping Bayonet," part of his "Death and Victory" series. It’s quite striking how much emotion he conveys with just a few pencil strokes. What do you make of this focus on the hand? Curator: It’s more than just a hand, isn’t it? It’s the point of contact, the very embodiment of action and intention. Sargent is zeroing in on the human element within the machinery of war. Think about the weight of that bayonet, the imagined stance of the soldier… Editor: It’s a loaded image, literally and figuratively. I guess I hadn’t considered the psychological weight until now. Curator: Exactly. And Sargent, that sly genius, gives us just enough to imagine the rest. A study in potential, in the moments before the plunge. Editor: So, it’s not just about the hand, but about the moment, heavy with what’s to come. Thanks, I get it now. Curator: And I'm reminded of how much a simple sketch can say. Food for thought!