Studies for one of Angels at Right, "Israel and the Law," Boston Public Library 1895 - 1916

Editor: This is a pencil study by John Singer Sargent, "Studies for one of Angels at Right, 'Israel and the Law'," although undated, it's a preparatory sketch for his Boston Public Library murals. I’m struck by how raw and process-oriented it feels. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a focus on the artist's labor, quite literally. The emphasis on the hand and the tool – likely a mallet or hammer – highlights the physical act of creation, something often obscured in the final, polished artwork. Consider the social context: Sargent’s murals served the elite, yet this study reveals the less celebrated, material process. Editor: So, you're saying it subverts the traditional hierarchy of art and craft? Curator: Precisely. By studying the means of production – the repetitive sketches, the focus on the physical tool – we challenge the idea of art as purely intellectual or spiritual, instead acknowledging the labor and materiality involved. Editor: That's a completely different way of seeing it. I was only looking at it as a preliminary sketch! Curator: Seeing the art's making helps us reassess its value.