Study of Right Arm and Shoulder for one of Angels at Right, "Israel and the Law," Boston Public Library 1895 - 1916

Curator: This is a study by John Singer Sargent, focusing on the right arm and shoulder for one of the angels in his mural "Israel and the Law" at the Boston Public Library. Editor: My first impression is raw power. That arm is poised, ready to unleash. I wonder, what weapon is he wielding? Curator: Indeed. Sargent's mural was commissioned to explore the relationship between Judaism and law, and this angel would have been a part of that larger allegorical narrative. Editor: The sketch quality is amazing. You can really feel the tension in the muscles, the way the light plays on the contours. He has captured such strength with such simple lines. It makes you wonder about the other angels. Curator: It's intriguing to see how Sargent worked through the individual components of such a monumental project. It emphasizes the importance of these studies. Editor: Absolutely, it gives a hint of the amount of thought that went into the grand final product. Curator: Exactly.