Sibyl; verso: Turbaned Head and Muscle Study of an Arm c. 16th century

Curator: This sanguine drawing, "Sibyl; verso: Turbaned Head and Muscle Study of an Arm," is by Jacopo Pontormo. The sheet is currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There’s a rawness to it. The subject's gaze feels unsettling, almost accusatory. Curator: The materiality certainly informs that. Pontormo was a master of disegno, and this sketch shows the artist working out the figure's form with quick, energetic lines in the red chalk. Editor: I see the Sibyl as a figure of marginalized wisdom, her prophecies often dismissed, a fitting allegory for women's voices silenced throughout history. Even the medium, the chalk, feels earthy, connected to suppressed knowledge. Curator: I agree. And this piece offers a tangible connection to the physical labor of artistic production, allowing insight into Pontormo's creative process. Editor: Seeing her rendered this way, I am more aware of the physical toll the role of prophet might take. Curator: A very thoughtful observation. Editor: Indeed.