My Father 1868

Curator: Here we have George Adolphus Storey's "My Father," held at the Tate. The dimensions are roughly 58 by 50 centimeters. Editor: The quiet reverence! It's like stepping into a hushed study. I feel an immediate sense of respect for this man, illuminated, engrossed in his book. Curator: Indeed. Note how Storey uses the materiality of paint, layering to create this chiaroscuro effect. Consider, too, how the book signifies literacy, knowledge, and access to information, all social markers. Editor: It's almost painfully intimate, isn't it? The way the light catches the page and his brow. One can almost hear the rustle of paper. It's an ode to the simple act of reading. Curator: Absolutely, the act of reading in the nineteenth century was often a communal activity. Storey is engaging in the construction of masculinity and intellect. Editor: Looking at it now, I am reminded of my own father, and the quiet moments we shared around books. Curator: Yes. Storey has captured a father figure, yes, but also a cultural moment: labor, access, knowledge and the dynamics of a household. Editor: It becomes a painting of everyone's father, and of everyone. It's like a memory brought to life through pigment and light.