Figurehead: "Cassandra Adams" 1935 - 1942

Editor: So, here we have "Figurehead: 'Cassandra Adams'," a graphite drawing created sometime between 1935 and 1942 by Rosamond P. Gray. I’m immediately struck by its… spectral quality, almost as if she's a ghost emerging from the blue paper. The upward gaze feels really poignant. What do you see when you look at this? Curator: Well, it's more than just a pretty picture, isn't it? The artist really captures something essential here, a feeling, maybe. Graphite on paper... a deceptively simple combination that sings! You said "spectral" – I felt that too, but like a premonition, like the whisper of things to come, don’t you think? Almost makes me want to grab a stick of charcoal and wail on some paper. I can see in it both a timeless quality and this intense historical grounding, particularly given the date it was made. Does it make you think about what's going on the world at the time it was created? Editor: It definitely adds another layer, thinking about the shadow of war looming. Her name also pulls at me, she's the cursed prophet who no one believed! Do you think Gray intended that connection? Curator: Interesting question! It might be a bit much, sure... a bit too on-the-nose to literally equate a ship's figurehead with Cassandra of Troy? But! Maybe. Absolutely. It speaks to a deeper exploration of feminine power, the sea, the ships! There’s some kind of hidden meaning embedded there, no doubt, like secrets whispered through the wood grain of a forgotten vessel. Editor: I'm struck now by how relevant those timeless, and yet historical, stories are, it gives you chills! Thank you! Curator: Indeed. These silent graphite strokes speak volumes to my imagination; they set sail on my soul! I may have to give my ship's figurehead a re-think when I return home tonight... It has been a pleasure.