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Curator: Here we have a page from a sketchbook by John Flaxman, dating from the late 18th or early 19th century, part of the Tate Collection. Editor: It feels like peering into the artist's mind, so tentative and hopeful. Like he's dreaming up memorials... Curator: Indeed. We see two sketches, one atop the other, both depicting memorial tablets. Note the wreaths that encircle a central void. Editor: It’s interesting how the circular forms are juxtaposed with the stark rectangular base. The emptiness feels... intentional, doesn't it? Almost spiritual. Curator: Flaxman, of course, was a key figure in Neoclassicism. Here, the pared-down aesthetic and the classical motifs speak to his commitment to order and reason. Editor: I wonder what stories were meant to fill those empty spaces? Who were these memorials for, I wonder? It tickles the imagination. Curator: It's this quiet intimacy that allows us to consider themes of memory, loss, and the enduring power of art. Editor: Absolutely, it's a poignant glimpse into the creative process and also the human condition.