Mrs. William Turner (Ann Dumaresq) 1767

Editor: Here we have John Singleton Copley’s oil painting *Mrs. William Turner (Ann Dumaresq)*, from 1767. The soft colours create a rather serene, if slightly melancholic, atmosphere. How do you interpret the visual language of this portrait? Curator: Consider the formal elements, such as line and form, as a framework for unlocking this visual language. Copley utilizes delicate brushwork to model the face, creating smooth transitions and a luminous quality, but there’s also a certain flatness, particularly in the rendering of the clothing. Do you notice the use of colour, particularly the pastel hues, and what effects they evoke? Editor: They give it this ethereal quality, almost as if she is floating in this undefined space, somewhere between air and sky. The cool blues contrasting against the warm pinks in her skin tone definitely enhances this otherworldliness. Is it typical to use such a cool palette for portraiture? Curator: Indeed, we must address this contrast. While portraits often aim to capture likeness and social standing, Copley uses the cool palette and slightly ambiguous background to, perhaps, elevate Mrs. Turner beyond the merely representational. The pearls at the throat and the fur stole contrast against the bare décolletage and the cool tones in the work. They almost set up opposing signifiers of wealth and nature/purity. Would you agree? Editor: I do. The layering of signs produces a more profound impression. Thank you for helping me consider it in this context! Curator: It's been illuminating discussing Copley’s use of form to express not just representation, but a deeper commentary on social role, nature and artifice in colonial America.