[title not known] c. 1933 - 1938

Curator: The unsettling gaze in this photogravure by Lionel Wendt immediately grips me. The figure is adorned with a pearl necklace and an intricately patterned garment. Editor: It feels spectral, almost dreamlike. The lack of pupils amplifies a sense of detachment, perhaps hinting at a deeper symbolic meaning beyond the sitter's social standing. Curator: Wendt, a prominent figure in the Ceylon Photographic Society, often challenged colonial norms through his art. The portrait seems to subtly question conventional power dynamics within portraiture. Editor: The swirling design of the dress almost vibrates, creating a visual tension. It seems less about representing reality, and more about evoking a feeling—a mood of quiet defiance, perhaps? Curator: Absolutely. And consider how Wendt, working in colonial Ceylon, used photography to explore identity and representation against a backdrop of social and political change. Editor: It certainly leaves us with a lot to contemplate about the gaze, and who has the power to look.