Profile Portrait of a Seated Young Man with Mirror 19th-20th century

Curator: The Harvard Art Museums hold this intriguing oil on canvas, titled "Profile Portrait of a Seated Young Man with Mirror" by Denman Waldo Ross. Editor: It has a stark, almost unsettling quality. The subdued palette accentuates the subject's vulnerability. Curator: Ross was deeply involved in the Arts and Crafts movement. Representations of the body and self-reflection gained traction as anxieties about industrialization impacted views of individualism. Editor: The mirror motif, of course, has long symbolized introspection, and here it seems to double the young man’s feelings of exposure and perhaps even melancholy. Curator: Given the period, it could be interpreted as a critique of prevailing beauty standards or societal pressures on young men. Editor: Perhaps. The image is a potent blend of realism and symbolism that transcends its historical setting. Curator: Absolutely, making it an evocative piece even today. Editor: I'll remember the mirror as a symbol of our own anxieties.