Five Women and One Man at a Bar 1920

Curator: This is Boris Grigoryev’s drawing, “Five Women and One Man at a Bar,” housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. It strikes me as an image concerned with the effects of light and shadow. Editor: What stands out to me are the layers of meaning behind these sketched figures. The bar setting itself evokes themes of socializing, but also perhaps a sense of detachment. Curator: The material qualities, like the paper and graphite, speak to the realities of artistic production, particularly during times of social and economic upheaval. Editor: I see the recurring symbol of the bar, and the repetition of figures, suggesting a cyclical nature of social performance and perhaps entrapment. The lack of distinct facial features could point to the loss of individuality. Curator: Perhaps Grigoryev used readily available, inexpensive materials precisely to challenge established notions of what constitutes "high art," giving dignity to everyday subjects and scenes. Editor: Indeed. The image offers a commentary on the complex human experience. It makes one wonder about the lives, struggles, and shared moments of individuals within such social settings. Curator: Grigoryev pushes us to consider the physical circumstances that shaped the art itself. Editor: And to recognize the lasting symbols of human experience it reflects.