Virgin and Child 

Editor: This drawing is called "Virgin and Child" by Edward Burne-Jones. It looks like it’s a watercolour illustration, with a very tender and serene feel to it. What strikes me is its almost geometrical composition and its use of outline. How would you interpret this work from a formalist perspective? Curator: Focusing solely on its intrinsic qualities, one notes the strong emphasis on line, primarily defining form and contour rather than modulating value. Note the circular format: how does this compositional choice affect our reading of the subjects depicted? Is the choice arbitrary or is there a symbolic function in its geometry? Editor: That’s a great point about the circular format; it creates this enclosed, almost private, devotional space. It directs my focus intensely to the two figures. What does the limited palette tell you? Curator: The limited palette, largely monochrome save for the delicate skin tones, underscores the primacy of form. Color, reduced to its barest essentials, serves merely to delineate, not to distract. Look at the contrast between the sinuous lines of the drapery and the geometric rendering of the backdrop; the patterned globe that punctuates space like a second sun or world under the Mother’s and child's authority. Editor: It's fascinating how restricting ourselves to formal elements brings forward details I wouldn't have considered. The lines and simple colouring are indeed quite telling! Curator: Indeed. It prompts a deeper appreciation for how the artist manipulates form to elicit meaning. The composition gives way to careful design and the intention to evoke piety within a minimalist frame.