Studies of Rocks 1871

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent's "Studies of Rocks," a pencil drawing housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It looks like a pretty straightforward rendering, almost like a scientific study. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a challenge to our anthropocentric views. Sargent, often celebrated for portraiture, here directs his gaze to the non-human. It asks us to consider: who decides what is worthy of artistic attention, and what hierarchies are embedded in those choices? Could this be a subtle commentary on the rise of industrialization? Editor: That's a fascinating take. So you think the rocks themselves are a statement? Curator: Precisely. Sargent asks us to consider the quiet resistance of the natural world. Editor: I never thought of it that way before. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure!