Uniform c. 1936

Aaron Fastovsky’s ‘Uniform’ emerges softly from the paper in coloured pencil. I’m imagining the artist gently layering these pastel hues with careful precision. There’s something haunting about the faceless figure and the almost dreamlike quality of the drawing. It makes me think about the weight of history and the way it impacts those who wear the uniform. What was Fastovsky thinking about when he made it? Was it about the past, a tribute or memorial? The surface is soft and textured, the colours delicate. The red cuffs on the sleeves pop, a flash of colour that hints at the violence lurking beneath the surface of the sartorial elegance. It speaks to a wider tradition of artists engaging with history and memory, each of us trying to make sense of the past in our own way. It’s like we're all in conversation across time.