Blank page; verso: Decorative Design 1892 - 1898

Curator: This quick sketch, "Blank page; verso: Decorative Design," comes to us from John Singer Sargent. Editor: There's a certain vulnerability here, a quiet, personal moment captured in graphite. Curator: The verso suggests a utilitarian aspect, a discarded idea perhaps, or a preparatory study for a larger work. Roses often symbolize love and beauty, though these are just simple outlines, devoid of lush detail. Editor: Exactly, the immediacy of the graphite on paper, the thinness of the application, it’s all about the process, the artist thinking through form. You can imagine Sargent quickly rendering it with a stick of graphite. Curator: Perhaps Sargent was simply playing with the rose as a symbol, tracing its cultural weight without committing to its conventional beauty. Editor: I see the ghost of what could be, the potential embedded in the material itself. Curator: A delicate balance between representation and abstraction. Editor: Right, a glimpse into the hand of the master.