Four Sketches of Swans 19th-20th century

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent's "Four Sketches of Swans." It's a small drawing, just a bit bigger than a postcard, but the swans feel monumental. What do you see in this study? Curator: I see a subtle rebellion against societal expectations. Sargent, often celebrated for portraiture of the elite, here focuses on the swan, a symbol often associated with grace and femininity. However, these sketches capture the bird in dynamic, less idealized poses. Is he challenging the passive role often assigned to women in art? Editor: That's a fascinating take. So, you see these as maybe more than just sketches? Curator: Exactly. They are Sargent exploring the tension between traditional symbolism and modern, more liberated representation. He gives the swans agency, disrupting the historical constraints placed on the female form. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? Editor: It does! I’ll never look at a swan the same way again.