John Robinson of Denston Hall, Suffolk 1779

Curator: George Romney painted this portrait, "John Robinson of Denston Hall, Suffolk," and it currently resides at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: I'm immediately struck by the contrast between the bright, almost theatrical, red collar and the sombre, dark background. Curator: That contrast, I think, speaks to the shifting social dynamics of the time, particularly around class and performativity. How did one signal status? Editor: It's interesting you say that. I see the red not just as status, but as a symbol of suppressed passion, barely contained beneath that rigid coat and ruffled shirt. Curator: I see the garment and the man's expression as a symbol of power, of control exerted during a period when control was everything for the elite. Editor: Perhaps it's both. Romney seems to have captured a man caught between tradition and emerging modernity. A very small painting that reveals the tensions of the moment.