[title not known] Verso: Sketch of Figure Group 

Editor: This is a sketch by John Flaxman, titled "Verso: Sketch of Figure Group," currently residing in the Tate Collections. It's a small, intimate drawing. What emotional echoes do you find in these figures? Curator: I see a recurring motif of the familial embrace. Consider the enduring symbol of the Madonna and Child – is it echoed here? Flaxman may be tapping into our collective memory of comfort and protection. Notice how he clusters the figures together. What feeling does that evoke for you? Editor: It feels very protective, almost like a huddle. Curator: Exactly! It could represent not just physical closeness but a shared emotional state, a visual shorthand for unity in the face of adversity or perhaps just profound love. Flaxman understood how to use minimal lines to convey maximum emotional weight. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way, but the cultural weight of these images definitely adds another layer. Curator: Indeed. And it makes you think about how symbols evolve and persist, doesn't it?