Portrait of a Man in a Cap 

Curator: Joseph Highmore's diminutive "Portrait of a Man in a Cap," residing here at the Tate, strikes me immediately with its quiet intimacy. Editor: It's certainly an interesting use of layered materials, a mixed method technique on paper. It feels like it challenges typical portraiture of the time. Curator: Right, it's less about high society grandeur and more about…fleeting reflection, wouldn't you agree? I feel as though I'm catching the sitter in a private, unguarded moment. Editor: The brown paper base is quite apparent, with the white chalk laid atop. I wonder how the social status of paper as a support impacted Highmore’s choice. Curator: I love how Highmore captures the weight of thought in that downturned gaze. There's something so human about that weariness. It makes me wonder about his life. Editor: It's a fascinating interplay between the rough texture of the paper and the delicate lines of the drawing, the physical realities of the support mirroring the man’s own lived experience. Curator: A lovely point; it seems that the work itself reflects the nature of existence. Editor: Precisely, thank you.