Mrs. Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes c. 1897

Curator: What strikes me most about John Singer Sargent’s sketch, “Mrs. Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes” is its ephemeral quality. It feels like a fleeting impression captured in graphite. Editor: It does, doesn't it? There's a starkness in the simplicity of form; the lines are economical, almost diagrammatic in their reduction. The hatching gives volume to the jacket. Curator: Exactly! It's as if Sargent is peeling back layers, revealing the underlying structure of the figure, or perhaps a mood. I wonder if Mrs. Stokes ever saw this. Editor: Intriguing thought. This work makes me consider how Sargent’s swift lines convey a sense of movement and implied volume. There is a reduction of the figure to near abstraction. Curator: I completely agree. The sketch seems to capture not just her likeness but also a certain energy and quiet contemplation of her posture. Editor: Absolutely. It’s a dance of line and form, ultimately leaving us with so much to ponder from so little, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Indeed, a testament to Sargent’s genius and the beauty of capturing a single moment.