Two Heads

Two Heads by John Singer Sargent is an intimate figure study executed in graphite on wove paper, dating to the critical transitional years between 1875 and 1880. Classified as a drawing, this piece exemplifies the young American artist’s precocious technical facility and keen eye for psychological nuance, skills that would define his celebrated career as a portraitist. Though known primarily for his oils, Sargent relied heavily on preparatory sketches and figure drawings to master the human form and refine compositional arrangements.

Rendered primarily in graphite, the drawing captures the contours of two distinct heads, likely studies done from life rather than preliminary sketches for a specific major commission. Sargent’s technique employs both firm, decisive outlines to establish form and lighter, feathery hatching to suggest shadow and volume, demonstrating his swift economy of line. The faces, perhaps depicting the same or two different models, show a high degree of observational fidelity. This work aligns chronologically with the period spanning 1851 to 1875, a pivotal era when European academic training was being reinterpreted by a generation of American artists, pushing toward greater realism and immediacy in their work.

This work offers insight into the rigorous practice of drawing essential to nineteenth-century artistic training. Sargent’s early sensitivity to subtle shifts in expression is already evident in the details of the eyes and the slight variations in the modeling of the chin and brow structures. This important study is preserved within the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. As is common with significant historical American works of this vintage, similar drawings by Sargent are frequently made available through high-resolution prints, and many fall under the public domain, making them crucial resources for scholarship and public appreciation.