Study for ‘History’, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1916 - 1921

John Singer Sargent created this study for ‘History’ using oil on canvas. I can imagine Sargent in his studio, trying to figure out the perfect composition. It's a dance, right? You start with an idea, but the painting takes over, leading you in unexpected directions. Look at the figure’s pose, the way he is sitting, with the arrow in his chest and that strange gaze upwards. The light blue background feels like a stage set. What must Sargent have been thinking when he made this? The material aspects of painting are all here: the texture of the canvas, the blending of colors, the push and pull of the brushstrokes. This is a painter working out their ideas. All painters are in conversation with each other. Sargent would have known the old masters. Painting is an embodied expression; it embraces ambiguity.