After ‘El-Jaleo’ c. 1882

Curator: My initial reaction is… energy. The implied movement of the figure is quite striking. Editor: Well, let's contextualize that energy. What you are viewing is “After ‘El-Jaleo’,” a pencil drawing by John Singer Sargent, made circa 1882. Curator: Ah, Sargent, exploring Spanish themes! The choice of pencil really emphasizes the process; you can almost feel the artist’s hand at work. It's a window into the creative process itself. Editor: Precisely. The ‘El-Jaleo’ references a flamenco performance. This piece grants us insight into the popular imagery circulating at the time and how Sargent was engaging with the exoticized views of Spanish culture in Parisian society. Curator: I see the shading creating depth, which brings us to the performance element. It emphasizes her gesture with such intensity that the viewer anticipates a sound and an immediate action. The manipulation of light and dark, almost sculptural, speaks to an interest in process of performance art in a fine art drawing context. Editor: Consider also the social function this imagery played. Works depicting Spanish dance served as vehicles to disseminate certain narratives to audiences. Did the performances, as depicted by Sargent, for example, challenge the rigid structures and traditions? Or did it reinforced pre-existing notions held by its bourgeois audience? Curator: It also appears to question the material nature of her clothing. From its composition of material, it's possible to infer that it was either inexpensive or luxurious, impacting both performance, audience, and critical review in the media that could then reach new markets across Europe and the US, not to mention the art supply markets! Editor: These pieces really put art making in perspective in order to truly recognize its significance and its connection with a much larger world beyond a performance! Curator: Yes, tracing the artist's method connects us not only to an aesthetic achievement but also a production lineage with a lot of context! Editor: Indeed. This quick sketch offers such depth with which to question. Curator: Definitely makes one wonder who her tailor was, how the costumes were made, and their influence on other performers' choices!