The Right Honourable Michael Foot, MP 

Editor: Here we have John Bratby’s striking portrait of *The Right Honourable Michael Foot, MP*, crafted with bold oil paint. There's an almost frantic energy to the brushstrokes; it really grabs your attention. What's your take on the imagery within this work? Curator: This painting seems less about a literal depiction of Michael Foot, and more a potent rendering of *him*. Notice how the vibrant, almost clashing colours aren’t necessarily mimetic, but create an emotional space? Bratby is conjuring Foot's political life, his passionate debates, perhaps even the turbulent times he lived through. What emotional impact do you think that the painter intended through this work? Editor: I see the turbulent times definitely. The colours sort of vibrate on the canvas. It’s like you can feel the energy you mentioned. Does this approach serve to immortalize him? Curator: I wouldn’t use that term; immortality is tied more to ideals and archetypes, rather than the specific, momentary quality seen in this work. Perhaps "entomb" is a better way to describe the feeling conveyed. It seems that Bratby captures Foot through his own expressive and agitated style and the viewer becomes part of it. A painting acts like an encoding process where artists transfer knowledge. What happens when knowledge turns into cultural memory? Editor: So, this painting could serve as an expressive cultural symbol in time, and that would influence our cultural memory in time. This has been really insightful; thank you for offering this symbolic unpacking. Curator: A pleasure. Hopefully, this gives you food for thought!