Draped Figure, Lower Half: verso: Drapery Study c. 19th century

Curator: This is Edward Burne-Jones' study, "Draped Figure, Lower Half," a pencil drawing on paper. Editor: It's ethereal, like a half-remembered dream taking shape. The folds of the fabric almost seem to float. Curator: Precisely. Burne-Jones was deeply interested in the depiction of textiles and drapery. He was obsessive with material culture. Notice the way he uses the pencil to suggest the weight and texture of the cloth. Editor: It's interesting to see this level of detail for the garment as the subject rather than the figure. It makes you consider what labor went into the piece. Curator: Definitely! The labor of creating both the garment and the study. These drawings were instrumental to his larger compositions, revealing his design process. Editor: It makes me appreciate the art of getting dressed, a meditation on form and function, I suppose. Curator: Indeed, it makes you think about the craft and intention sewn into every layer of fabric, just as much as every pencil stroke.