Gun Carriages, France 1918

John Singer Sargent made this drawing, Gun Carriages, France, using graphite on paper. Imagine him out in the field, quickly trying to capture these mechanical beasts. I feel for him! You know, sometimes you see something, and you just gotta draw it, even when it’s hard, even when it's war machines. He’s trying to get it all down, the bigness of the wheels, the way the light hits the metal. See how some lines are darker, more sure, and others are just whispers? It's like he's thinking aloud with his pencil. It reminds me that painting, drawing, it's all about seeing and feeling, even when the subject is cold and mechanical. Sargent, known for his portraits, finds something compelling in these war machines. Artists are always looking, always responding to the world, trying to make sense of it all, one mark at a time.