Two Figures with a Parasol in a Boat by John Singer Sargent

Two Figures with a Parasol in a Boat c. 1884 - 1889

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Dimensions: 16.2 x 9.2 cm (6 3/8 x 3 5/8 in.)

Copyright: CC0 1.0

Curator: This intriguing sketch is called "Two Figures with a Parasol in a Boat," attributed to John Singer Sargent. Editor: It feels so light, breezy, and unfinished. I imagine a summer day, the boat gently rocking. Curator: Sargent's sketch reveals so much about the process. The graphite on paper highlights the economy of means, just enough to capture the scene, the figures defined by a minimum of lines. Editor: The parasol is such a dominant shape, almost eclipsing the figures themselves, or crowning them. It is like a halo. Curator: Perhaps it’s about leisure and the social ritual of boating, the materials suggesting a moment captured quickly, almost as an aside. Editor: I see a fleeting impression, like a half-remembered dream on the water. Curator: So, in a way, it's both a study in social dynamics and material capture. Editor: Precisely, and it's lovely to get a glimpse behind the curtain of a master.

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