Campanile at Giralda, Seville, Spain 19th-20th century

Curator: This is John Singer Sargent's drawing, "Campanile at Giralda, Seville, Spain," currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a study in graphite on paper. Editor: It has a sort of unfinished, dreamlike quality. The bells almost float against the roughly sketched architectural backdrop. Curator: Sargent’s choice of the Giralda is fascinating. This was once a minaret, transformed into a bell tower. The drawing thus embodies layers of cultural and religious appropriation. Editor: And it speaks to his own methods. The swift lines imply his physical engagement with the materials – graphite, paper, and the act of mark-making itself. Curator: Yes, Sargent captures a specific historical moment, hinting at power dynamics between cultures. His quick sketch evokes complex questions of identity, place, and history. Editor: Thinking about it, the bells themselves are agents of sound and labor, calling people to prayer, marking time. Sargent captures the potential energy locked inside these objects. Curator: An insightful reading, truly demonstrating the potential for a single image to be seen in multiple ways. Editor: Absolutely, a quick sketch, but loaded with material and symbolic weight.