Study for "Phaethon" 1922 - 1925

John Singer Sargent made this study for "Phaethon" with graphite on paper, and it’s all about the process. You can see the artist working through the figure, lines searching, adjusting, almost like he's feeling his way around the form. The ochre ground is really interesting. The color feels like a memory. The graphite lines are delicate, tentative. See how the lines around the torso overlap and correct each other? It gives a real sense of movement, of the body twisting and falling. There's a lightness to the drawing, even though the subject matter is so dramatic. Look at the way the head is rendered, almost unfinished, yet full of expression. This reminds me of Rodin's drawings – that same interest in capturing the body in motion, the same emphasis on process over perfect representation. Ultimately, it's that unfinished quality that makes it so compelling – it invites us to participate in the act of creation, to imagine the story for ourselves.