Two Girls at Gate n.d.

Curator: Welcome. We are looking at an intriguing piece here titled, "Two Girls at Gate," origin date unknown. What we have is a pencil and chalk drawing currently residing here at The Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: My immediate feeling? Long, hot summer day, whispers in the wheatfields kind of vibe. A bit melancholy, like something unspoken is hanging in the air between these two girls. It is simple in execution but profound in emotion. Curator: What stands out for me is how this composition reflects genre-painting themes, inviting speculation about these figures and their socio-cultural position, how gender and childhood intersect here. Who were they? What rules governed their interaction? What choices were available? Editor: Right? I’m instantly caught by the girl on the left. She is bolder, more present. That hat! She almost dares you to look closer. It's as if she has secrets and isn't sure if she wants to share them or not. It looks like this gateway could also be one of passage. It almost appears to me that the girl on the right seems to be almost fading into the horizon. Curator: Her gaze avoids us, certainly. Artists and the artistic establishment always are at the mercy of their political context, which means we, too, in how we view them! So to see work like this in a museum like this, is also part of that power dynamic we need to recognize as part of the history here. Editor: Definitely. Makes you wonder about the artist too, what she hoped to express about girlhood. Did she consider it playful or fraught? Beautiful, painful or boring? I would want to hear what Murray had to say about this, that is if she wanted to. Curator: Indeed, so much context informs our understanding. Well, this was certainly thought-provoking. Thank you. Editor: Thanks. A lot of summer fields and long shadows there to contemplate!