Back View of a Leopard Lying Down 

Editor: Here we have John Macallan Swan's "Back View of a Leopard Lying Down," a drawing with what looks like graphite on paper. The sketchiness really emphasizes the animal's form. What do you make of it? Curator: The visible texture of the paper and the artist's hand in the smudging and layering of graphite are key. This isn't about a romanticized wild animal; it's about the process of observation, and the labor of representing it. Consider the source of the materials and the economics surrounding them. How might Swan's access to paper and graphite reflect his social standing and the art market of the time? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Looking at it in terms of materials and labor really shifts the focus. Curator: Exactly. It grounds the artwork in its material reality and asks us to think critically about art as a product of specific social and economic forces.