Seated Male Nude with Extended Leg (recto); Sketch of Kneeling Male Nude and Divided Circle (verso)

John Singer Sargent's double-sided drawing Seated Male Nude with Extended Leg (recto) and Sketch of Kneeling Male Nude and Divided Circle (verso) (1917/21) is a charcoal drawing with stumping on ivory laid paper. The recto shows a seated male nude with one leg extended, a pose that allowed Sargent to study the articulation of the body. The charcoal technique is masterful, the figure modeled with subtle gradations of tone that give it volume and presence. The verso shows a sketch of a kneeling male nude and a divided circle, perhaps a compositional or geometric study. The double-sided nature of this sheet offers valuable insight into Sargent's working process, showing him moving between naturalistic figure study and more abstract compositional thinking on the same support. This drawing belongs to the period when Sargent was working on his mural projects, and the figure studies likely relate to those monumental compositions.

Sargent's mural studies demonstrate the range of his draftsmanship and the seriousness with which he approached the human figure as the foundation of his art.

This double-sided figure study reveals Sargent's mastery of the human form, the charcoal modeling capturing the volumes of the body with remarkable sensitivity while the verso shows his compositional thinking.