Lady Violet 

Editor: This is "Lady Violet" by Robert McGinnis, painted with oil on canvas. It's a really striking figurative piece. I'm immediately drawn to the composition. How would you interpret it? Curator: Well, at first glance, the realism is definitely present, isn't it? But when you spend a moment longer with "Lady Violet" other interesting considerations emerge. The way her limbs mirror one another feels studied, formal even, and how this is echoed in the symmetry of the settee on which she reclines... Editor: Absolutely, she is almost presented on a pedestal. Do you think there are any interesting psychological connotations to it all? Curator: I wonder about that flower detail on the armrest. See how close to the same hue they are compared with the background, yet somehow still jump out at you? The arrangement acts almost like a subtle visual command that we as viewers pause to contemplate it. The whole composition hints at something…almost dreamlike. And note those tiny, spindly sandals… Editor: It's as if they elevate the composition... Curator: In ways more than one, perhaps. Notice how she averts our gaze…a classical approach in figure studies…and in this work the gesture pulls away the potential to present her as a 'type.' We don't know exactly *who* she is. It makes me wonder, are we looking at a painting that strives to reclaim and redefine some classical trope? What do *you* think? Editor: It's fascinating to consider all of these possibilities, all from one captivating gaze averted. It really challenges my assumptions. Curator: Exactly! I noticed a whole realm of signifiers at work!