(From Sketchbook) 1810 - 1820

Editor: Here we have a page from a sketchbook by Thomas Sully, likely dating from 1810 to 1820. It's done in ink on paper and is currently housed at the Met. The rapid lines create multiple figures. It almost feels like eavesdropping on the artist's thoughts. What strikes you when you look at this page? Curator: I’m drawn to the figures themselves. They seem to echo classical poses and drapery, yet there’s a certain looseness, an informality, in the ink lines that almost contradicts that formality. Do you think that tension serves a purpose? Editor: It’s interesting, it almost feels like he's taking something established and then immediately making it his own. Perhaps studying those classic forms and breathing life into them with his unique sketch style? Curator: Precisely. Think about how drawing was perceived then—as both a skill to master but also a way of thinking through images. Each quick sketch is laden with symbolism, perhaps consciously or unconsciously, evoking narratives and emotions deeply embedded in our collective cultural memory of antiquity. Do you see hints of those familiar stories emerging here? Editor: I see a few embracing figures that recall Greek or Roman sculptures I’ve seen before. So, by engaging with this imagery he is kind of tapping into that history? Curator: Exactly. Sully, through his ink, bridges centuries. He utilizes these classical visual symbols as emotional touchstones, weaving new meanings while honoring tradition. And he invites *us* to interpret and reinterpret those symbols within our own contemporary understanding. It’s really powerful. Editor: That’s amazing; I will never look at a sketchbook in the same way again! Curator: I'm so glad to hear it! These dialogues across time is where real meaning emerges!