Bound Man (recto); Sketch of Bound Man (verso)

John Singer Sargent's double-sided drawing Bound Man (1917/21) is a charcoal with stumping and graphite drawing on cream laid paper. The recto shows a bound male figure, perhaps a study for a composition involving captivity or constraint. The charcoal technique is bold and expressive, the lines defining the figure with a power that suggests Sargent's engagement with the human form in extremis. The stumping creates soft transitions of tone. The graphite adds finer details. The verso contains a sketch of a bound man, continuing the same subject. The double-sided nature of this sheet is particularly valuable, showing Sargent working through the same subject on both sides of the paper. This drawing dates from the period when Sargent was working on the murals for the Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts, and the bound figure may relate to one of these monumental projects.

Sargent's figure drawings for his mural projects demonstrate the range of his draftsmanship, showing his ability to handle the human figure in states of action and suffering.

This double-sided drawing of a bound man reveals Sargent's engagement with the human figure in extremis, the powerful charcoal line conveying both the physical constraint and the emotional intensity of the subject.