Head of a Woman; verso: Head c. 1758

Editor: Here we have Jean-Honoré Fragonard's "Head of a Woman," along with "Head" on the reverse, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. The faint strokes give it a ghost-like quality. What’s your take on this ephemeral drawing? Curator: It whispers, doesn't it? I see Fragonard playfully experimenting, maybe even just warming up. The slightness of the sketch allows it to breathe, almost as if the woman exists more as a thought than a fully realized form. Isn't it intriguing how much emotion he conveys with so little? Editor: It really is, it almost feels like glimpsing a fleeting memory. I hadn't considered how much intention can be behind something so seemingly simple. Curator: Exactly. And sometimes, those fleeting glimpses reveal the most profound truths.