Jacques-Emile Blanche c. 1910

Curator: Walter Sickert's portrait, "Jacques-Emile Blanche," certainly projects an air of reserved, almost theatrical, composure. Editor: Indeed, the brushstrokes, broken and uneven, give the impression of a mask barely concealing something. The top hat is such an odd symbol. Curator: Sickert painted this, and many other portraits of fellow artists, within the context of the late 19th-century artistic circles. Blanche was, himself, a well known painter, critic, and writer. Editor: The hat seems to be used as a symbol to denote the sitter's status within Parisian society. But, the painterly execution does seem to undermine such an idea. Is the portrait supposed to undermine the sitter? Curator: Perhaps Sickert is asking us to consider the performative aspect of identity, the public face versus the inner self. Editor: It's a wonderfully unsettling portrait that invites us to think about the weight of social expectations and artistic expression. Curator: A very modern sentiment, indeed.