Sketch after Michelangelo's "Pietà," Florence 19th-20th century

Curator: This is John Singer Sargent’s sketch, after Michelangelo’s "Pietà," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The rough pencil work gives it a feeling of immediacy. You can almost see Sargent wrestling with the forms. Curator: Absolutely. The Pietà is such a potent symbol of grief and devotion. Sargent's capturing not just the likeness, but echoing centuries of artistic interpretations. Editor: I'm intrigued by the material process—pencil on paper, a quick study. It's so different from the Pietà's marble and the labor it represents. Curator: Indeed, the contrast speaks volumes. While Michelangelo evokes eternal suffering, Sargent offers a fleeting glimpse, filtered through his own understanding. Editor: It makes you think about the sheer volume of art required to create the original, marble artwork. Curator: It does, and Sargent’s sketch brings the monumental into a personal space, inviting us to contemplate these themes anew. Editor: A compelling tension between process and the symbolic weight.