Study for Figure above ‘Music’ II 1919 - 1920

John Singer Sargent made this study for ‘Figure above Music’ II, with what looks like charcoal on paper. What strikes me is how Sargent captures the body's form with such efficiency. The lines aren't labored over; they're quick, confident, and convey just enough information. Take, for example, the shading along the figure's torso—it’s not about perfection, but about feeling the volume, the way light glances off the skin. The medium is simple, but the effect is powerful. The way the charcoal sits on the paper, almost floating, makes the figure seem like it could shift and change, which to me, speaks to the nature of art itself—always in motion, always becoming. You can really see the dialogue between the artist's hand and the subject, a conversation happening right there on the page. It reminds me of those Degas drawings, where the line has a life of its own, dancing across the surface, never quite settling.