Study for Head of Watcher 1951 - 1952

Editor: Reg Butler's "Study for Head of Watcher," created sometime in the mid-20th century, is a striking drawing on paper. There's a real vulnerability to it, a rawness... What do you make of it? Curator: I see a figure almost reaching, straining upwards. It evokes a sense of yearning, perhaps a desperate search for something just beyond grasp. The sketchiness adds to the feeling of incompleteness. Does the figure's lack of eyes disturb you at all? Editor: A little, it makes me wonder what it's watching for, if it even sees anything. Curator: Exactly. Maybe it's about the act of watching, the anticipation, rather than the object itself. Think about the watchers in your own life, what do you expect of them and what do they expect of you? Editor: That’s a really interesting way to frame it. I guess there is a certain pressure to be watched. Curator: Indeed! And it makes this piece about more than just a single figure; it's about the very nature of observation. Editor: I never thought of it that way! Thanks for expanding my perspective on the piece.