Standing Man; Male Head c. 1845 - 1847

Curator: This small sketchbook page, attributed to Sanford Robinson Gifford, features sketches titled "Standing Man" and "Male Head." Editor: It feels so intimate, like glimpsing a private moment. The delicate pencil work gives it a provisional, almost ephemeral quality. Curator: Gifford, best known for his luminist landscapes, likely used this as a portable tool for capturing fleeting impressions. These sketches offer insight into his working methods. Editor: Note how the artist uses hatching and cross-hatching to define the forms. It's a study in light and shadow, even in its brevity. I wonder where these figures might have stood or sat in Gifford's life. Curator: Perhaps they are studies for larger works or simply visual notes. Either way, they highlight the material process of art-making, connecting it to Gifford's larger body of work. Editor: Seeing the materiality of the pencil strokes and the paper's texture really brings us closer to the artist's hand, wouldn't you agree? Curator: Indeed. Examining these sketches enriches our appreciation of Gifford's artistic practice.