Studies of a Standing Man Holding a Hat and Profile of a Girl Looking Left 1746 - 1799

Curator: This sheet, now residing at The Met, brings together "Studies of a Standing Man Holding a Hat and Profile of a Girl Looking Left." It’s rendered in ink by Luis Paret y Alcázar sometime between 1746 and 1799. What strikes you first about it? Editor: Immediately, the sparseness! These lean lines create an incredible sense of gesture and suggestion. The baroque details seem almost like fleeting thoughts. What's fascinating is the social coding that's conveyed in such simple terms. Curator: Social coding, elaborate on that for me. To me, the baroque aspect suggests, yes, perhaps wealth and access and leisure time, which, in turn, reminds me how, in the end, even our casual doodles and sketches, are, at least, tiny self-portraits of how we imagine the world. Editor: Precisely! The exaggerated finery of the man's dress – that frothy jabot, the way he casually holds the hat. It's a performance of status. Then the girl, with her elaborate hairstyle, seems almost confined by the ornate flourishes around her, hinting at societal expectations imposed upon women. Paret y Alcázar, by focusing on the upper classes, inadvertently critiques the power dynamics of his time. Curator: I find myself wondering about their relationship – the standing man, who is perhaps preening, or in mid-speech and this girl, pictured as an offhand profile, she, an implied witness, and is this then, an exploration of public persona against private reserve? Editor: Yes, and how that is defined along gender lines. How are men expected to perform themselves? And how are women supposed to behave and observe? Paret's sketches remind me of contemporary discourse around the male gaze. Are we, the viewers, implicated in this dynamic? Curator: Well, looking back now, I appreciate the deceptive lightness of it. What feels like a charming, simple sketch carries with it this whole history, this whole silent set of accusations and propositions. Thank you. Editor: And, thank you, for making the drawing speak.