Study for the Frieze of the Prophets, Boston Public Library (recto and verso) 1890 - 1895

Editor: Here we have John Singer Sargent’s Study for the Frieze of the Prophets, Boston Public Library. It’s a pencil sketch, and it feels very preliminary. What can you tell me about the means of production here? Curator: Well, the medium itself, pencil on paper, speaks to accessibility. It democratizes the artistic process. Consider, too, the labor involved in creating something monumental like a frieze, starting with such humble materials. How does this preliminary sketch challenge the traditional hierarchy between 'high art' and the 'craft' of preparation? Editor: I hadn't thought about the act of sketching as a kind of labor itself. Thanks! Curator: The sketch reveals the labor involved in a final monumental work. It is also about consumption: the consumption of both materials and ideas.