Ogival Arch Decorated with Roundels, and Head of a Bearded Man 19th-20th century

Curator: Here we have John Singer Sargent's sketch, "Ogival Arch Decorated with Roundels, and Head of a Bearded Man," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It strikes me as incomplete, ethereal even. The archway feels weighty, but the bearded man is lightly rendered. Curator: Consider the social context: Sargent, an expatriate, capturing European architectural details. The sketch highlights the means of production, the labor of observing and translating these forms. Editor: True, but look at the contrast. The defined patterns within the arch versus the gestural, almost hasty rendering of the figure. It disrupts any cohesive reading. Curator: Perhaps it's the artist's commentary on class—ornamentation versus the individual, structure versus fluidity. A material commentary on society. Editor: An interesting take, I still read it as an exploration of form, incomplete and searching.