[title not known] verso: Sketch of Group of Figures 

Curator: Here we have a sketch by John Flaxman, born in 1755, titled “Sketch of Group of Figures.” It's a small graphite drawing, just 75 by 165 millimeters. Editor: It feels like capturing a fleeting moment, doesn’t it? Like a half-remembered dream. A series of bodies in what appear to be gestures of distress or surrender. Curator: Flaxman was deeply involved in Neoclassicism and often referenced classical literature. The gestures could very well be theatrical, perhaps studies for a larger composition depicting a scene from Homer. Editor: There's something so raw about the quick lines, though. It reminds me of Goya’s sketches, that sense of urgency and almost desperate observation. Curator: Flaxman was incredibly influential in his time, and the sketch may be one of his first attempts at creating the outlines of what would become history. Editor: The power of the sketch is in its potential, I suppose. It invites us to imagine the stories behind those figures, the emotions that propel them. Curator: Indeed. It's a testament to Flaxman's talent that a simple sketch can evoke so much. Editor: Yes, a little portal to countless possibilities.