Tara 1972

Curator: Barry Flanagan’s delicate etching, "Tara," presents a child's portrait. The image dimensions are 247 x 200 mm, located in the Tate Collections. Editor: It strikes me as a ghostly impression, a fleeting memory caught in the thinnest of lines. The bare minimum needed to conjure a person. Curator: Note the almost maternal quality in the gesture of her holding what seems to be a small cat—a symbol of domesticity and nurturing, often linked with feminine ideals through the ages. Editor: Yes, but also consider the visual economy at play. That single line defining the cat also suggests an entire world of implied form and texture. It is a marvel of reduction. Curator: Agreed. The sitter's gaze also hints at a complex inner life. Flanagan seems to invite us to ponder the weight of childhood experiences and the process of becoming. Editor: Perhaps, but the lack of embellishment, the sheer linearity, prevents sentimentality. It is what is omitted that speaks volumes. Curator: Quite right. It is through the absences that the enduring presence of the child shines. Editor: I am still fascinated by the line itself, its almost diagrammatic clarity.