Drawing for Left Panel of ‘Resurrection: Waking Up’ 1944

Curator: This is Sir Stanley Spencer's preliminary drawing for the left panel of his ambitious project, 'Resurrection: Waking Up,’ now held in the Tate Collections. Editor: It feels... strangely architectural, doesn't it? Like a blueprint for a dream. I'm drawn to the figures emerging from what looks like a building. Curator: Spencer's work is so interesting because it intersects spiritual themes with depictions of everyday life. The grid overlaid on the drawing gives us a glimpse into his process. Editor: Right. It’s like the mundane and the mystical are layered together, hinting at the extraordinary within the ordinary. Seeing the process so bare, it feels intimate, you know? Curator: Absolutely. Spencer challenges conventional representations of resurrection, framing it as a communal and deeply personal awakening, and situating that with class consciousness. Editor: I see that. So, it's not just about rising from the dead. It's about waking up to new possibilities. Makes you think about what we're all waking up to, or need to. Curator: Precisely. Spencer invites us to contemplate the intersections of faith, community, and the individual journey towards transformation. Editor: And seeing the rough sketch, the blueprint, it makes the possibility feel much closer, doesn't it?