Study for ‘Don’t e know Jarge, tha be no Resurrection’ 1977

Curator: Here we have William Roberts' "Study for ‘Don’t e know Jarge, tha be no Resurrection’" from his later period. Editor: It's odd, isn't it? Makes me think of a stage set—figures frozen mid-action, waiting for the curtain. Curator: Roberts was always interested in the representation of labor, and this study shows that. The artist depicts figures engaged in manual work, surrounded by what looks like sculptural forms and a grid, indicating it's a design. Editor: The grid gives it a strangely technical feel—like a blueprint for… well, something quite absurd. Resurrection, maybe? Curator: The inscription at the top suggests a questioning of traditional beliefs through the lens of working-class experience, rendered in a deliberately rough style. Editor: It feels like Roberts is winking at us—a bit skeptical, a bit playful. I find myself pondering the act of creation here, both artistic and manual. Curator: A fitting thought. The piece reminds us that even preparatory work like this can reveal so much about the artist's intent and process. Editor: Absolutely. I love how Roberts manages to capture a sense of both the mundane and the marvelous in a single frame.