Sheet of Studies 1635

Editor: This is Anthony van Dyck’s "Sheet of Studies" from 1635, made with pen, ink, and watercolor on paper. I find it intriguing how each portrait, encased in a faux frame, has such a distinct personality. How do you interpret this work? Curator: This sheet presents an opportunity to reflect on power dynamics within the art world and beyond. Van Dyck's portraits often depicted nobility, so to see a study sheet raises questions. Who are these figures, and what do their varying expressions communicate? Are they characters for a history painting, a means for Van Dyck to practice, or perhaps studies of anonymous people from a particular social strata? What might these varying modes say about class? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't considered the figures' social standing, I was more focused on the stylistic choices and individual character. Curator: Think about the Baroque period. Courtly life, religious authority…How do you see those power structures reflected – or resisted – in the artwork itself? The faces are individualized, yet contained within these identical frames, almost like specimens. Editor: Now that you mention it, there's definitely a feeling of controlled observation. Like he's dissecting expressions rather than celebrating individuals. What about the performative aspect of portraiture? Curator: Exactly! Portraits were often tools to assert authority, gender, status and power, even immortality, think of Renaissance portraiture or ancient busts. By creating a “sheet of studies,” is Van Dyck questioning or even undermining the seriousness of portraiture and even perhaps engaging with broader philosophical discourses around individual versus archetype? Editor: This makes me see the work in a completely new light! Thanks! Curator: It's through questioning the artist’s motives, techniques, and placing their work in its time that the artwork speaks to our world.