In the Forest, Pont-Aven c. 1895

Curator: Eric Forbes-Robertson's "In the Forest, Pont-Aven" presents two figures amidst foliage, its dimensions roughly 68 by 90 centimeters. Editor: It’s quite somber. The heavy use of muted tones and obscured faces gives it a secretive, almost melancholic mood. Curator: Forbes-Robertson would have been working in an era grappling with industrialization, so his return to these seemingly simple, pastoral scenes speaks to a societal yearning. Editor: Look at the woman knitting, though. Knitting is almost always a symbol of domesticity, of cyclical time, of the Fates themselves weaving destiny. Curator: Yes, the labor involved speaks directly to production. The textile she creates has a purpose, a function within the world outside the canvas. Editor: I still wonder about the facelessness. Are they archetypes? Are they meant to represent something beyond their individual selves? Curator: It's an intriguing question—how much does their anonymity allow us to project our own experiences of labor, of production, of purpose onto them? Editor: A lot to ponder, indeed. Curator: Absolutely. A fascinating intersection of the material and the symbolic.