Two studies for soldiers of Gassed 1918

Editor: Here we have John Singer Sargent's "Two Studies for Soldiers of Gassed", a pencil drawing from 1918. The figures seem caught between movement and stillness, maybe exhaustion. What do you see in this piece, particularly knowing it was made during wartime? Curator: This drawing, even in its sketch-like quality, speaks volumes about the trauma of war and the cost of militarism. Sargent wasn’t just depicting soldiers; he was capturing the psychological and physical toll of modern warfare. The "Gassed" in the title is key – it evokes the horrors of chemical warfare, a particularly brutal aspect of World War I. Consider how this medium, pencil on paper, relates to the immediacy and accessibility of communicating the widespread human suffering endured by soldiers in war, which, though technically gendered, represents universal pain. Editor: So, you're saying the drawing's simplicity amplifies the soldiers’ suffering? Curator: Exactly. The sketch form almost gives us direct access to the artist’s initial, unfiltered response to what he witnessed. We are confronted by the casualness of it all. How, in a modern war setting, it's become the norm. How does this confront the conventions of history painting and its often celebratory portrayal of battle? Editor: I guess it shows how detached we are, then and now. Thank you for sharing your insightful interpretations of this moving work. Curator: The point is this calls attention to these subjects that might otherwise become invisible when detached from the everyday lives, histories and struggles in gender, racial, and geopolitical systems. It challenges the status quo and offers resistance. Thank you for allowing me to examine it alongside you.