Study for "Astronomy" c. 1921

This is a study for "Astronomy" by John Singer Sargent, a drawing on paper where the artist has captured a figure in quiet contemplation, gazing upwards. I can almost feel the charcoal in my own hand, smudging and layering to build form and shadow. There's a real intimacy to the sketch, a sense of Sargent working through the pose, finding the right angle, the right tilt of the head. Look at the way he’s suggested the fall of light across the figure's face and chest. There's an incredible economy of line here. The man is hugging his knees and, in a way, hugging himself. You can see the humanity shining through. He’s lost in thought and Sargent, with just a few strokes, captures that internal state, that sense of wonder or reflection. It’s like a visual poem, isn't it? For artists like me and Sargent, drawing becomes a way of thinking, feeling, and really seeing.