Studies for "Judgment"
1910
charcoal
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1910
charcoal
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This charcoal drawing shows three robed figures with blurred edges. One figure lifts a hand as if weighing souls. The others look down, their faces half hidden in shadow. Sargent used layered charcoal to soften edges. He built up tone slowly, letting light fade into dark. It takes patience to control this technique. Try looking up chiaroscuro next—it’s the play of light and shadow like here.
![Studies of Male Nudes [verso]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/6a06b2ac3ad0c09a/thumb.webp)
