Right Hand and Forearm, study for "The Angel of Wrath" 1829 - 1831

Curator: Here we have Washington Allston's "Right Hand and Forearm, study for 'The Angel of Wrath.'" Editor: It feels so immediate, like a lightning strike captured on this textured paper. You can almost feel the tension in the hand. Curator: Allston, born in 1779, was exploring the physical form, the very mechanics of emotion, perhaps. Note the rapid, almost frantic charcoal strokes. Editor: It's definitely more than just anatomical study; there's a raw power hinted at here. Makes you wonder what that angel was about to do! Curator: The material itself speaks. The sketch on paper, a reusable commodity; it was likely a fast, cheap method for experimentation. Editor: It’s that contrast, really, between the disposable nature of the study and the immortal quality of the wrath it depicts that is so striking. Curator: Absolutely, a glimpse into the labor behind the grand painting, revealing the material and conceptual process. Editor: Yeah, it gets you thinking, what gets left behind in the artistic act, and what stays to haunt us.