View of the Interior of Santa Sophia, Istanbul 1891

Editor: Here we have John Singer Sargent's "View of the Interior of Santa Sophia, Istanbul." It's a pencil sketch of the Hagia Sophia, residing in the Harvard Art Museums. I'm struck by its unfinished quality. What kind of significance do you see in the depiction of such a famous space? Curator: Sargent’s sketch, though seemingly incomplete, speaks volumes. Consider Hagia Sophia's layered identity: a Byzantine cathedral, then an Ottoman mosque, and now a museum. This image, caught in graphite, mirrors the ongoing transformation and cultural memory embedded within its architecture. What might Sargent be implying by capturing this liminal state? Editor: That's fascinating. It's like he's showing us a moment in the building's perpetual reinvention. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. It reveals how a place can hold multiple symbolic layers, constantly re-interpreted through history.