The Back of Capt. Grose 

Curator: Here we have Joseph Highmore's "The Back of Capt. Grose," a quick sketch from the 18th century, now residing in the Tate's collection. Editor: It's surprisingly melancholic, isn't it? All we see is his back, a sort of disappearing act into the past. Curator: I see it as the artist capturing a moment of introspective power, perhaps Grose contemplating colonial endeavors, or maybe just the weight of his powdered wig. Editor: Or the weight of systemic oppression, right? A military figure, symbolizing dominance, literally turning his back on accountability. Curator: Maybe, but there's a vulnerability too, a humanness. It makes me wonder about the stories behind that stance. The grid behind him makes me think of constraints. Editor: Fair, and yet that grid could be the very structure enforcing hierarchies. It all complicates that "human" narrative, doesn’t it? Curator: It certainly does. Perhaps Highmore was asking us to look beyond the uniform, or maybe he simply found the Captain’s posture intriguing. Editor: Well, I leave questioning the system. That is my posture.