Sketch of a Girl 

Curator: This is Joseph Highmore's "Sketch of a Girl," currently held in the Tate Collections. Highmore was active in the first half of the 18th century. Editor: It feels so fleeting, like capturing a whisper. The delicate lines give her an ethereal, almost dreamlike quality. Curator: Well, sketches like these served a crucial role in the artistic process. Highmore, trained as a lawyer, came to art a little later in life. He needed studies like this. Editor: You can almost feel the artist circling, searching for the right contour. It makes the final image feel so much more alive. Curator: Absolutely, and it also reveals much about the social conventions of the time. Highmore painted members of the burgeoning middle class. Editor: I love how the sketch invites you in, it leaves space for your own imagination. Curator: Indeed, these intimate glimpses into the past can be remarkably illuminating. Editor: It makes me wonder what she was thinking, caught in this little moment.