(From Sketchbook) 1810 - 1820

Curator: Oh, what a flurry of humanity! There’s a beautiful chaos here. Is this... a storm gathering? Editor: Precisely the feeling I get, too. We’re looking at a page titled "(From Sketchbook)" plucked right from the working notebook of Thomas Sully, dated between 1810 and 1820. He used ink and pencil to give life to this flurry on paper, which resides now at the Met. The man must have been quick with his hand! Curator: You know, I'm drawn to the swirling composition. The figures—it's like they're all reaching for something, or perhaps reacting to an unseen force. It reminds me a little of baroque theater, so dramatic. The repetition, those sketched men seem to almost create their own symbols. What did Sully feel compelled to draw from life onto paper? Editor: Perhaps it *was* a bit theatrical, with all its exaggerated gestures. And yes, Sully captured something universal in these figures—they definitely resonate across time, despite the period costume, which might even lend to the emotional accessibility. Sully, known primarily for his portraits, hints at something much grander here, wouldn't you say? It’s a snapshot into how symbols evolve, and the universal emotions that underwrite human actions and understanding.. Curator: Absolutely. It's thrilling to see an artist work through the raw energy of an idea. This wasn't about polished perfection but honest exploration. It has such a direct line to Sully's intentions— almost an unintentional one; as though he has been channeling and translating emotion from what he witnessed, straight to the tip of his quill or pencil... Editor: A privileged glimpse into an artist's inner world—his experiments with form and emotion. Each line is charged with possibility, and to witness it so transparently. You know, to me it has unveiled much and revealed itself to be about more than mere initial concepts, or early sketches on paper; Sully is handing a direct channel between us and what connects all in this grand human theater. Curator: Agreed. It is something truly magic.