Boy in White Shirt 1993

Curator: Tony Bevan's etching, "Boy in White Shirt," from 1993, is a small work held at the Tate. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Unease. It's a confrontational portrait, almost a scream frozen on the boy's face. The stark lines amplify that raw vulnerability. Curator: Bevan's known for these intense, expressive portraits. His work often delves into themes of isolation and the human condition, reflecting his experience of growing up in post-war Britain. Editor: The angularity, it's almost aggressive, isn't it? Like he's trying to break free from the constraints of the print itself, or perhaps from something more...internal. Curator: Perhaps. Art gives us that space to reflect, doesn't it? To see ourselves, or pieces of ourselves, in the struggles presented to us. Editor: Yes, and that’s why it remains so powerful. It makes you sit with that discomfort.