Blank page; verso: Mountain Peaks 1872

Editor: This is John Singer Sargent's "Mountain Peaks," a pencil sketch with no specific date, housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels so immediate and raw. What can you tell us about it? Curator: Consider the materiality here: graphite on paper, mass-produced materials enabling quick capture. Sargent, known for oil portraits of the elite, uses humble means to depict sublime nature. Does this democratisation of landscape imagery speak to broader social shifts? Editor: That's interesting. So, it's not just a sketch, but a statement about access and artistic expression? Curator: Precisely. It raises questions about who gets to depict what, and with what materials. How does this challenge traditional hierarchies of art and subject matter? Editor: I never thought of it that way before; it's fascinating to consider the socio-political implications even in a seemingly simple sketch. Curator: Indeed. Materiality reveals so much about artistic intent and cultural context.