Two Shattered Trees; and Study for ‘The Road’ 1918

John Singer Sargent made this drawing, "Two Shattered Trees; and Study for ‘The Road’", as a study; a process of thinking through line. The pencil work is direct, vulnerable even. He’s putting it all out there, every correction, every adjustment. It reminds me that artmaking is an active conversation between the artist and the work. Look closely at how Sargent uses hatching to build up the forms of the shattered trees. These marks aren't just descriptive; they're expressive, evoking the rough texture and broken quality of the wood. The lines are tentative and searching, like he’s trying to understand the trees and the devastation they've faced. Notice how the drawing as a whole seems to capture a fleeting moment, a quick observation that becomes something more profound. Sargent, known for his society portraits, has a restless energy in common with someone like Manet. This drawing, like many works of art, is less about answers and more about a way of looking and being in the world.