Sketches of Heads (recto and verso) 1869

Editor: John Singer Sargent's "Sketches of Heads" is a small pencil drawing with two distinct heads rendered on the same sheet. The one in profile almost seems to be looking up towards something. What hidden narratives do you find embedded in these faces? Curator: These sketches echo classical sculpture, don't they? Consider the deliberate rendering of idealized features. The profile, gazing upward, evokes aspiration. Is it spiritual yearning, or perhaps intellectual pursuit? The bearded figure, more grounded, suggests wisdom, but perhaps also weariness. Editor: So you’re saying they are almost like symbolic representations of different states of being? Curator: Precisely! Sargent, through these studies, taps into a collective memory, drawing on archetypes of the seeker and the sage, figures that resonate across time and cultures. What do these figures evoke for you personally? Editor: I see them now as representing different aspects of the human condition. It is fascinating how much meaning Sargent packs into these simple sketches.