Lower part of draped figure with bare feet standing on a cloud 1772 - 1774

Editor: This drawing, “Lower part of draped figure with bare feet standing on a cloud,” made between 1772 and 1774 by Benjamin West, is composed of pencil, ink and watercolor on paper. It feels incomplete and leaves a lot to the imagination. What's your take? Curator: It's interesting to view this through the lens of Neoclassicism. Consider the power structures implicit in depicting figures, often religious or allegorical, suspended in this ethereal space. Whose stories are we prioritizing, and whose bodies are idealized, often at the expense of others? What does it mean to represent divinity, power, and morality during the Enlightenment? Editor: So, beyond just the surface level representation, you are encouraging us to analyze the "why" behind depicting a floating figure and the values associated with it? Curator: Precisely! Consider also the politics of the time, the emerging bourgeois class, and how these images served to reinforce particular social and moral orders. Does this depiction subvert or reinforce those orders, and what role does art play in shaping those values? Editor: I never thought about art in this much detail. Now I see how much history and culture is embedded within. Curator: Every artistic choice, from the figure's bare feet to the wispy clouds, has the potential to be unpacked. It encourages a deep-seated, structural, and systemic cultural awareness. Editor: Thank you. I am certainly going to explore more about art history in my coursework through these lenses.