Study for Left Side of "Classic and Romantic Art," Museum of Fine Arts, Boston c. 1916 - 1922

Curator: Here we have John Singer Sargent’s "Study for Left Side of 'Classic and Romantic Art,' Museum of Fine Arts, Boston." It's a preparatory sketch, likely executed in pencil. Editor: It feels unfinished, raw. There's a tension between the defined figures and the ghost-like forms beside them. Who are these figures, and what story do they tell? Curator: Sargent was exploring the allegorical relationship between classical and romantic artistic ideals for a mural. The medium is key here; the pencil shows the artist's process, the labor involved in creating this grand mural. Editor: The mural's location in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, places it within a specific cultural and social context. What was Sargent saying about these ideals to the audiences of his time? Curator: Indeed. The use of line and shading suggests that Sargent was very interested in light and shadow. It's amazing to see how he was thinking through the materiality of painting. Editor: Right, and by depicting Classicism and Romanticism together, Sargent invites a dialogue about how these aesthetic categories shaped and were shaped by broader ideological and political currents. Curator: It is a wonderful look into an artist’s thinking process. Editor: Ultimately, this sketch provokes important questions about the historical construction of artistic canons. Thank you.