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Editor: This page shows two drawings by John Flaxman. The upper one depicts a single figure and the lower one shows two figures, seemingly in classical dress, surrounding a central form. They're very simple sketches, linear and quite austere. What do you see in their composition? Curator: Consider the use of line. Flaxman employs it economically, defining form through contour rather than volume. Note how the blank rectangular shapes act as a focal point, drawing the eye to the implied depth within the architectural frame. What meaning is constructed through these simple shapes? Editor: Perhaps the figures are gesturing towards a higher ideal, some kind of offering? They really have a stoic feel, don't they? Curator: Indeed. The very flatness of the page, contrasted against the perspectival stage, emphasizes the symbolic rather than the literal. Therein lies the beauty of Flaxman’s sketches. Editor: It's amazing how much meaning can be conveyed with so few lines.