Myself with Cadger’s Pipe 1950

Editor: This is Ronald Ossory Dunlop’s "Myself with Cadger’s Pipe," currently at the Tate. The impasto gives it such a tactile, almost confrontational presence. What's your take on this self-portrait? Curator: Dunlop presents himself in the guise of a "cadger," a peddler, a figure often marginalized. What does it mean for an artist, likely of a privileged background, to adopt this persona, especially considering the power dynamics inherent in representation? Editor: That's a powerful point. I hadn't considered the social implications of his self-fashioning. Curator: It invites questions about authenticity, appropriation, and the artist's relationship to labor and class. Food for thought, isn't it? Editor: Absolutely. I’ll definitely look at it differently now.