Profile Head and Three Faces; verso: Profile Head of Madame X (Madame Gautreau), Figures 1880 - 1885

Curator: John Singer Sargent, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, created this work, titled "Profile Head and Three Faces; verso: Profile Head of Madame X (Madame Gautreau), Figures". Editor: There's something ghostly about these figures, like faint memories surfacing on paper. What can you tell me about Sargent's process here? Curator: Well, this piece, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, gives us insight into Sargent's creative labor. It's all about the directness of the pencil on paper, a raw immediacy in capturing these different angles of the face. Editor: Indeed. I see echoes of classical portraiture traditions. The profile, especially, calls to mind ancient cameos, yet these faces feel distinctly modern, almost unsettling in their anonymity. Curator: The paper itself, the grade of pencil used, speaks to the economics of art production in his time. It's a window into the material conditions of artistic creation. Editor: Absolutely, and from an iconographic perspective, the sketch offers glimpses into the construction of identity, both societal and internal, fragmented, and incomplete. Thanks for sharing your insights. Curator: My pleasure, it's been a pleasure to explore how materials and their manipulation contribute to the overall narrative.