Study for ‘I’ll Put a Tuck in ‘Em’ c. 1948

Curator: This is William Roberts' Study for ‘I’ll Put a Tuck in ‘Em,’ part of the Tate Collection. It seems to be a preliminary sketch, measuring about 178 by 133 millimeters. Editor: Oh, it's got a strange, stiff energy, doesn't it? Like figures trapped in amber, or maybe a cubist dance frozen mid-motion. I can almost feel the artist struggling with the composition. Curator: Given Robert’s commitment to examining post-war industry and labor, I wonder if it is about the tailoring profession. The grid suggests a precise method, and it highlights the labor that goes into production. Editor: Perhaps! Or perhaps it is the artist struggling to fit the body, or rather bodies, into this tight space. Curator: Indeed, the materiality of the drawing itself—the paper, the pencil—speaks to the work of planning, the social context of pre-production. Editor: Still, there’s something compelling in the frozen, surreal feel of this particular snapshot. Curator: A fascinating glimpse into the making of art and its connections to the everyday. Editor: Absolutely, and a reminder that even studies can have a life of their own.