Studies for ‘Judgment’ 1903 - 1916

This drawing, "Studies for 'Judgment'" by John Singer Sargent, feels like a glimpse into his process, all about the doing. The way he’s built up the forms with these confident, smudgy charcoal marks...it's less about perfection and more about finding the structure, the feeling of the body. I love how the texture of the paper shows through; it keeps things raw and immediate. Look at the hand at the top of the page. See how he’s defined the form of the fingers with these loose scribbles that make them seem to both emerge from and dissolve into the background. It reminds me of the way Cy Twombly would use line, or maybe even a bit of Rodin's sketches. It shows how the best art isn't always about answers; it's about the questions you ask along the way.