[title not known] c. 1858

Curator: Here we have a sketch by Reuben Townroe, an artist who lived from 1835 to 1911. It’s a study, really, for what looks like a frieze – all pencil and watercolor. Editor: The figures strike me as oddly frozen, even for a preliminary sketch. There’s a stillness, a gravity that hints at something monumental. Curator: Yes, it’s all very classical, isn’t it? The drapery, the architectural setting… Townroe was clearly steeped in the visual language of antiquity. The use of these figures swathed in fabric, a timeless motif of human representation. Editor: The incomplete scaffolding suggests this is a work in progress, an insight into the artist's process. It makes me think about how we continuously rebuild and reinterpret the stories of the past. Curator: I suppose that's what makes this sketch so compelling—it reveals that constant tension between the ephemeral and the eternal. Editor: It’s a good reminder that art is never really finished, is it?