Study for the Prophet Obadiah, Boston Public Library; verso: blank page 1890 - 1895

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent's sketch, "Study for the Prophet Obadiah." The figure is draped in shadow, hands clasped to his head. There is so much emotion in those simple lines! What do you see in this piece, beyond the surface? Curator: Oh, darling, it's all about the raw nerve, isn't it? Sargent's wrestling with the weight of prophecy, that burden of foresight, the loneliness of knowing something no one else does. Can you feel it in the shading, the way he almost sculpts the despair? It reminds me of Rodin. Editor: Rodin, yes! That makes sense. So, it’s not just a biblical figure study, but a study of burden and isolation? Curator: Precisely! And perhaps Sargent felt that kinship with Obadiah, as an artist, a visionary, set apart by his talent. It speaks volumes, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely. I’ll never look at Sargent the same way again. Curator: Nor I. And isn't that the magic of art?