Study fro ‘Parallel Bars’ c. 1970

Editor: This is William Roberts' *Study for 'Parallel Bars'*, a pencil drawing in the Tate collection. There's a real sense of dynamism and interconnectedness within the figures, but it seems to exist in this strange kind of static space because of the grid. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The grid is indeed crucial. It is a device that both liberates and restrains. Notice how Roberts uses it to dissect and reassemble the human form, echoing the Cubist fragmentation of space and object. The figures are reduced to almost mechanical components, their movements analyzed and reconstructed across the grid's surface. Do you perceive how this tension between organic form and geometric structure creates a powerful visual rhythm? Editor: I do now! It's like the grid is trying to contain their energy. I suppose it’s interesting that a study reveals so much about the artist's formal intentions. Curator: Indeed, it brings us closer to the constructive logic of the finished work.