Male Head, for "Lorenzo and Jessica" 1832

Editor: This is Washington Allston's "Male Head, for 'Lorenzo and Jessica'," likely a study, given the size and lack of date. It’s a delicate pencil sketch. What layers of meaning can we unpack here? Curator: The sketch, intended for a Shakespearean-inspired work, invites us to consider how Allston engaged with themes of cross-cultural exchange and, perhaps, the romanticized exoticism of the period. How might his portrayal of Lorenzo reflect or subvert the prevailing attitudes towards race and identity in the early 19th century? Editor: That's something I hadn't considered, but that does provide a more nuanced reading of the piece! Curator: Indeed, and it encourages us to question whose perspectives were centered and whose were marginalized within the artistic and social landscape of Allston's time.