Blank page; verso: Woman (after LeSueur?) c. 18th century

Curator: Here we have "Blank page; verso: Woman (after LeSueur?)" by Joshua Reynolds. It's a delicate pencil sketch on paper, measuring about 19 by 16 centimeters, currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's a tentative, ethereal quality about this figure. She seems caught between worlds, her form emerging softly from the page. Curator: Reynolds, known for his grand portraits, frequently made studies after other artists. In this case, it's thought that this sketch is after a work by the French artist, Le Sueur. Editor: The act of copying itself is revealing. Reynolds is engaging with a visual language of femininity, but in the act of imitation, whose gaze are we seeing? Where is Reynolds himself within this image? Curator: It reminds us that artistic influence and interpretation are always layered with cultural and personal perspectives. Editor: Absolutely. Seeing through the eyes of Reynolds, engaging with Le Sueur, we find ourselves looking at the politics of the gaze. Curator: A simple sketch, but a profound study in artistic lineage. Editor: Indeed, it leaves me thinking about how the representation of women has evolved—and not evolved—over centuries.