Untitled 

Editor: This “Untitled” watercolor by Harrison Fisher shows two women in wide-brimmed hats and tailored clothes. The sketchy strokes of color feel fresh and light. What sort of stories do you see in the figures themselves? Curator: I see echoes of the "Gibson Girl," the idealized image of feminine beauty at the turn of the 20th century. Fisher actually competed with Charles Dana Gibson to define this iconic figure, so these women, despite being “Untitled,” carry all that symbolic weight. The feathered hats, for example, speak volumes about social status, aspiration, and, perhaps, the cost of beauty on the natural world at the time. Do you pick up on other visual cues that suggest a certain era or social context? Editor: Yes! The long skirts and fitted jackets do give a very particular Edwardian flavor. Is there a message embedded in their poses, as well? Curator: Precisely! Consider the tilt of the heads, the slight smiles. These are carefully constructed images of self-assuredness but also of a certain demure charm, a carefully policed femininity. Even their connection—one woman’s hand resting on the other’s— hints at a shared understanding, a sisterhood… though even that’s been stylized, hasn’t it? Think about what the artist chose *not* to include, to emphasize these visual and cultural symbols. Editor: That's so interesting. I never would have considered the implications of the hats! I now see the painting as carefully constructed and not just a charming scene. Curator: Indeed. And remember, even seemingly "natural" images often carry layers of cultural memory and aspiration, waiting to be decoded.