Study for "Apollo and the Muses" c. 1921

This is John Singer Sargent’s study for “Apollo and the Muses,” made with graphite on paper. You can see the oval composition with figures lightly sketched in line. It’s the bare bones of a painting, like a map of an idea. I find myself immediately drawn to the artist's process. Look closely, and you can see the grid which may have helped Sargent transfer the composition to a larger surface. I imagine him, stepping back, squinting, adjusting his lines, trying to get the figures just so. The hand of the artist feels so present, doesn't it? You see Sargent’s dance of accuracy and intuition. He had this amazing ability to capture the essence of a figure with just a few strokes. What a gift, huh? It makes you think about all the conversations happening between artists across time. Each one building on what came before, messing around, and making something new. That’s how art keeps moving, always in process, never really finished.