Corfu 1904

Curator: I’m immediately drawn to the almost chaotic energy in the foreground – these densely packed bushes really make me want to know more. Editor: Well, let me tell you a little bit about what we are seeing. This is a pencil drawing by Mary Newbold Sargent entitled “Corfu,” created in 1904. It resides here at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. What strikes you about this sketch? Curator: The houses perched precariously on that hill, with a structure at its summit capped with a cross! There is an imposition of structures suggesting social hierarchies. I'm interested in the artist's choices – why highlight this tension between nature and architecture in a place like Corfu? Were there specific social or political power structures in Corfu at this time that may have been informing the artist's perspective? Editor: Corfu, with its complex history of Venetian, French, and British rule, certainly had a unique sociopolitical landscape in the early 20th century. Sargent was traveling, observing, recording. Artists often became witnesses to social change, shaping our visual understanding of evolving communities. And indeed her choices were influenced by the artistic trends toward realism, portraying things as she encountered them. Curator: So it begs the question of how much personal perspective is embedded within even a seemingly straightforward landscape study? The composition itself implies a narrative of access and exclusion; we’re situated outside, looking up. Was this intentional social commentary, or simply a byproduct of aesthetic choices? Did it reflect Sargent's positionality as a privileged artist of the time? Editor: We should always recognize her vantage point. Artists filter the world through their own unique lens. Whether deliberate or unconscious, the political dimensions emerge precisely from considering these layered artistic decisions. Now what does that city say to you? Curator: To me it is an exploration of space, both physical and societal, it is about the interplay of these dense bushes versus this building looming above on this precipice. What could have incited this interplay, beyond the natural incline and settlement patterns? Editor: Mary Newbold Sargent offers us not just a view of Corfu, but a glimpse into the complexities of observing and interpreting the world. She gives us this moment to reflect on how the physical and socio-political landscapes are intertwined. Curator: Yes. That tension makes it incredibly engaging. Thanks to Sargent for offering so much food for thought about how to approach cities then and now.