Sketches of Dressed Human Body 19th-20th century

Curator: This is "Sketches of Dressed Human Body," a drawing by William Valentine Schevill, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. It captures, with swift strokes, details of clothing and posture. Editor: The immediacy is striking. It feels like a momentary glimpse, a fragment of a figure caught mid-stride. The paper itself seems almost ephemeral. Curator: The cane and the tailored sleeve, though, suggest a certain formality, a social standing. The image evokes a sense of memory, of piecing together a vanished presence. Editor: But look at the way the lines form the fabric, the shading that gives shape to the leg. There's a clear focus on the material, the way clothes define and confine the body. Curator: Perhaps Schevill was interested in more than mere representation. It seems he was trying to capture the fleeting feeling of a person, the impression they leave behind. Editor: Ultimately, it's about the act of seeing, the recording of fleeting moments through a very specific process of hand and material. It’s quite beautiful.