Wooded Landscape 1870 - 1871

Curator: This is John Singer Sargent's "Wooded Landscape," a drawing currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like a dreamscape, all hazy and indistinct. The soft pencil work gives it a very ephemeral quality. Curator: Sargent often used drawings like this for his larger works. Consider how landscape painting, especially in the late 19th century, was tied to national identity and the experience of nature. Editor: The trees, though vaguely rendered, evoke a sense of the sublime. There’s a kind of timelessness in these natural forms. The overall tonal range of greys gives it a somber effect. Curator: Yes, this work shows the influence of impressionism on Sargent, with its emphasis on capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere in nature. It also reflects the growing interest in wilderness as a subject. Editor: It makes me think of how nature has long been a symbol of both refuge and the unknown. The lack of a clear path deeper into the woods plays into that uncertainty. Curator: A perfect way to encapsulate Sargent's view of the natural world. Editor: Indeed, a thoughtful piece that invites introspection on our relationship with nature.