Sketches of Faces; verso: Designs for Vaulting Ornament c. 1895 - 1916

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent's "Sketches of Faces," a pencil drawing. I'm struck by its raw, unfinished quality. What can you tell me about it? Curator: I see Sargent grappling with representation itself, using the immediacy of pencil to explore form. Consider the physical act of drawing – the graphite on paper, the repetitive strokes. How does this process reflect Sargent's own engagement with labor and production? Editor: That's interesting. It makes you think about the craft differently. Curator: Exactly. And what about the material constraints of this medium? How does pencil, versus oil paint, dictate the possibilities for expression and reception? Does the seeming disposability of the sketch challenge notions of artistic value? Editor: I guess I never thought about it that way. Now I’m seeing the sketch as a deliberate choice about how art is consumed. Curator: Precisely. A powerful statement about the artistic process.