Portrait Of Eugenia Errázuriz c. 1905

John Singer Sargent captured Eugenia Errázuriz in charcoal with this drawing. The way he approaches the darks and lights, it's all about process, not just a finished picture. You can almost feel the charcoal scratching against the paper, building up the shadows around her face and that extravagant hat. See how the lines aren't always neat? There's a looseness, a willingness to let the material do its thing. Look at the feathery strokes around the edges of her hair. They're not trying to be perfect, but they capture the sense of volume and texture. Sargent reminds me a bit of Manet. Both artists were masters of suggestion, letting the viewer's eye fill in the details. This portrait isn't about a fixed idea, it’s an ongoing conversation, an open-ended question about who Eugenia Errázuriz really was.