Colonel Ernst August von Hugo and Lt. Colonel von Schlepegrell 1787

Editor: This is John Singleton Copley's, Colonel Ernst August von Hugo and Lt. Colonel von Schlepegrell. It feels unfinished, a glimpse into Copley's process. What captures your attention most in this double portrait? Curator: It's the dual focus, isn't it? One gazes upward, maybe towards glory, while the other seems grounded, a bit skeptical. I wonder, was Copley exploring contrasting ideals of duty, painting each man as an archetype? Editor: I hadn’t considered that! The upward gaze does give the work a very aspirational feel. Curator: Or perhaps a touch of the absurd? Their expressions, juxtaposed against the incomplete background, create a tension between the grand and the ordinary, don’t you think? Editor: Yes, it's as if they are figures in a play, caught between acts. I see it now! Curator: Exactly. It's a potent reminder that even in art, and perhaps especially in art, there are always multiple stories unfolding.