[title not known] Verso: Incomplete Studies of Head and Shoulders, Standing Figure and Woman with Child, and ?Part of Sketch
Dimensions: support: 101 x 106 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This small, intimate sketch, "Verso: Incomplete Studies…" by John Flaxman is like a whisper from the past. The figures, drawn with such delicate lines, seem to float on the page. What stories do you think Flaxman was trying to tell here? Curator: It feels like eavesdropping, doesn't it? Flaxman's studies are less about narrative and more about the pure exploration of form and emotion. The clustering of figures, the way the lines suggest movement and connection, it’s as if he's capturing fleeting moments of human interaction. Perhaps he was simply trying to capture the essence of everyday life? Editor: That makes sense. It’s almost like a visual diary. I guess he didn't want to waste any space on this paper and decided to try different ideas. Curator: Precisely. These sketches weren't meant for public consumption, just a private space for the artist's eye. It’s beautiful to consider how such an intimate study can still resonate with us today.