Sketches for Lunettes, Boston Public Library; verso: Compositional Sketch of Figures c. 1903 - 1916

Curator: John Singer Sargent's "Sketches for Lunettes, Boston Public Library," offers a glimpse into the labor behind his grand murals. What's your initial reaction? Editor: It feels like looking at a dreamscape, layers of half-formed ideas floating on the page, a beautiful, yet incomplete, puzzle. Curator: Exactly! Sargent, celebrated for his society portraits, was also deeply engaged in this massive project. These sketches reveal the process of negotiating space and form for the lunettes, highlighting the materiality of design itself. Editor: Knowing that, I see beyond the chaos to the artist wrestling with weight and composition. There's a raw energy here, unburdened by the expectations of a finished piece. I feel like I’m in his head for a moment. Curator: Absolutely, and by examining these works, we can appreciate Sargent's labor and the collaborative context, a departure from the myth of the solitary genius. Editor: It makes me want to see the finished lunettes with fresh eyes. What a journey, and this sketch lets us see it unfolding. Curator: Indeed, it underscores that art, even at its most refined, is rooted in the material and the messy process of making. Editor: I agree. It's a window into the artist's mind.