Sculpture of Nandi; verso: Sketches for the Pagan End, Boston Public Library 1890 - 1895

Curator: This is John Singer Sargent’s study, titled "Sculpture of Nandi; verso: Sketches for the Pagan End, Boston Public Library," held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: What a powerful stillness conveyed through such simple lines. The composition, especially the diagonal thrust, gives the figure a kind of grounded monumentality. Curator: Indeed. Nandi, the bull, serves as the mount of Shiva. The sculpture's inherent symbolism speaks to devotion and strength, a constant watchful presence. Editor: The sketch itself, though, gives me pause. Sargent’s visible strokes lend a curious dynamic tension—the sacred bull rendered with such active, searching lines. Is this reverence or inquiry? Curator: Perhaps both. The materiality of the sketch—pencil on paper—emphasizes the process of observation. Sargent is capturing not just form, but essence. Editor: A fascinating interplay between the eternal and the ephemeral, then. It makes me consider the weight of tradition balanced against the fleeting nature of perception. Curator: Precisely. It shows how Sargent manages to infuse a timeless image with his own individual artistic vision.