Girl Brushing Her Hair 1938

Curator: Right, let's turn our attention to Robert Austin’s “Girl Brushing Her Hair," created in 1938. It's an intaglio print, giving it this wonderful, textured feel. Editor: Oof, melancholy. That's the first word that leaps to mind. The slumped posture, the cascade of hair hiding her face...it's heavy with emotion. And what’s with the dotted animal, is that a dog on the side, or perhaps a cushion with an animal design? Curator: Indeed! The positioning certainly emphasizes introspection. The dog at her feet, could be a source of silent companionship, perhaps adding a layer of loyalty to the narrative, like in the paintings by Titian. The etcher and engraver employed short, almost nervous, hatching strokes in a purely descriptive manner, creating an effect of light playing gently on forms and textures. Editor: I find myself wondering what story precedes this moment. Was there a fight, heartbreak, is it merely quiet domesticity? The ambiguity is what makes it so compelling, really. I keep wanting to adjust her body in my mind. As if to tell her it’s all okay. A very maternal view on the subject. Curator: The weight of hair in art is quite symbolic; from Pre-Raphaelite femme fatales with their tresses as snares to the simple domesticity you mentioned, hair can signal so many things. And intaglio as a technique – so deliberate, so carefully wrought – adds another layer of meaning. Each line meticulously placed, each shade of gray deliberately chosen. Editor: It reminds me, in a strange way, of those photographic portraits where the sitter's face is obscured, inviting us to project our own feelings onto them. Here, it's grief, or loneliness, or simply fatigue, all bundled together. And while on one hand the dots remind us of Pop Art, perhaps this choice was unintentional, rather motivated by the wish to place something in that space to provide equilibrium to the overall composition of the artwork. Curator: Yes, it certainly pushes you into that interpretative space, doesn't it? It really encourages empathy, making her very vulnerability tangible. Editor: A poignant slice of life, immortalized in ink and paper. A timeless moment of quiet solitude that echoes long after you've turned away.