Samos, 1904 (from Sketchbook) 1904

Mary Newbold Sargent sketched "Samos" in 1904, using graphite on paper. It’s a landscape, but what grabs me is the immediacy of the marks, like a visual diary entry. The graphite dances across the page, a series of quick, light touches that suggest form without fully defining it. It’s like Sargent is thinking through the pencil, trying to catch a fleeting impression of the scene. Look at the way she renders the mountains – just a few lines, but they convey a sense of depth and distance. And then, that large expanse of water, rendered with such economy of line – it's kind of amazing. It reminds me of Guston’s late-in-life landscapes, those simplified forms that speak volumes with so little. I love the way artists can communicate so much with a minimum of means. To me, it’s what art is all about, an ongoing conversation across time.