Sketch of a Building with Entrance of Three Ogival Arches, Tangier 1880

Curator: It has such a serene quality, almost ghostly with the light pencil strokes. Editor: This is John Singer Sargent’s "Sketch of a Building with Entrance of Three Ogival Arches, Tangier," now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Sargent, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, captured this architectural detail using pencil on paper. Curator: The ogival arches themselves hold a certain spiritual symbolism, don't they? They evoke a reaching, an aspiration toward something higher. I wonder what kind of cultural exchange Sargent was experiencing that informed this sketch? Editor: Indeed. Sargent's orientalist works often reflect a Western gaze, but also a genuine interest in diverse architectural styles. This sketch presents a public face of Tangier, open yet reserved. It invites interpretation of its social role. Curator: I feel a sense of quiet contemplation emanating from this piece. The arches offer a passage, not just physically but also perhaps metaphorically. Editor: A fleeting moment captured—a testament to the power of observation and the layers of meaning a simple sketch can hold.