Standing Male Nude c. 1890 - 1915

Editor: Here we have John Singer Sargent’s “Standing Male Nude,” a charcoal drawing. I’m struck by the upward gaze and how it makes the figure seem both vulnerable and powerful. What do you make of that stance? Curator: It's like he's searching for something just beyond our view, isn’t it? The figure’s directed gaze and the artist’s expressive lines evoke a sense of yearning. Sargent’s nudes, even studies, are always charged with a particular emotional current. What do you feel that current is communicating? Editor: Hope, maybe? Or aspiration. I guess I didn't expect that from a nude drawing. Curator: Exactly! It transcends the classical, doesn't it? Sargent masterfully uses light and shadow to sculpt not just form, but feeling. It seems that even preliminary sketches are infused with profound contemplation.