Decorative Design 1913

Curator: This intriguing pencil drawing is titled "Decorative Design" by John Singer Sargent. Editor: It feels like a fragment, a glimpse into the artist’s process. The gridded background makes it seem intentionally diagrammatic, a blueprint maybe? Curator: Absolutely. The repeated motif, with its distinctive star-like shape, suggests a possible tile or textile pattern. It calls to mind ancient mosaics, echoes of interconnectedness. Editor: The repetition also hints at industrial production, the potential for mass replication. It’s just a sketch, but the drawing itself reveals the artist’s labor. Curator: Seeing it in the context of Sargent’s portraiture, it's a complete turn. It really shows a different side of his artistic interests and expertise. Editor: Right. While a departure from his portraits, it makes me consider the materiality and labor of those society paintings. So much prep work! Curator: Looking closer at this grid, it's not a finished piece but rather a place to work through ideas, maybe in search of underlying archetypes. Editor: Exactly. And seeing this preparatory sketch, we glimpse something of the making.