Portrait of George Colman, the Elder 

Curator: We’re looking at Joshua Reynolds’s “Portrait of George Colman, the Elder,” currently held in a private collection. Editor: My first thought? Melancholy. The muted palette and Colman's introspective gaze… it whispers of contemplation, maybe even a touch of world-weariness. The way he rests his chin—it suggests someone deep in thought. Curator: Indeed. The composition invites such a reading. Note how Reynolds employs a dark, almost tenebrist background. It throws Colman’s face into sharp relief, emphasizing his features. The subtle romanticism is evident in the loose brushwork. The layering of reddish hues in his velvet jacket provides textural complexity against the relative flatness of the backdrop. Editor: Textural complexity, yes, but there's also a… constraint there, wouldn't you say? I can almost smell the candle wax and feel the velvet. It's evocative, in the same way an old theatre smells like so many stories trying to escape the boards! Reynolds really makes you want to touch this scene with a haptic richness you seldom get from other portraits. It really pops! Curator: Interesting. The staging invites such association, considering Colman’s profession, however I am mostly interested in how the form interacts with Reynolds position at the time, his goal was the 'Grand Style,' which demanded elevated subject matter, composition, and, critically, coloring reminiscent of the Old Masters—this piece is indicative of that goal. Note how the planes and shapes communicate the form through strict adherence to classical methods? Editor: Absolutely. But perhaps it is the painting's simplicity in some ways: he just *seems* pensive. I imagine him staring out the window during a rehearsal. I almost want to sit and listen to the great man himself recount all his amazing memories. What secrets do you think Colman would take with him to his death? Maybe that’s why Reynolds decided to take on this study, to get at some semblance of an understanding of his mind… the true nature of the 'Elder' man before him! Curator: A fascinating interpretation and perspective, colored as it is by your personal reflections. Editor: Thank you. I leave you with a question, how different would we feel about this painting had another artist brought the sitter to life. Would a modern artist have captured the gravity, or would the sitter have become… irreverent? I shall chew on that for the rest of the afternoon!