Tripoli, 1904 (from Sketchbook) 1904

Mary Newbold Sargent made this pencil sketch of Tripoli in 1904, probably sitting in a quiet corner of a bustling street. Look at the surface. The pencil marks create a sense of depth and texture. It’s like she's trying to capture not just the buildings, but the feeling of being there. I can almost feel the sun on the stone and the cool shadows of the awnings. The repetitive hatching is interesting, isn't it? The strokes create the image. Each stroke seems immediate, intuitive, a kind of visual shorthand. I wonder what she was thinking as she sketched this scene? Was she captivated by the light, the architecture, or the everyday life unfolding around her? Like the work of many artists, Sargent's image captures a specific moment but also speaks to broader themes of place, memory, and perception. When we look at art, we're participating in an ongoing dialogue across time. Each artwork is a conversation with other artists, each informing and inspiring the other.