Morning: Pope's Odyssey, Book 12 (recto); Study for the final drawing (verso) 1792

John Flaxman created this drawing, Morning: Pope's Odyssey, Book 12, with pen and gray ink on paper. Observe the composition: a series of female figures arranged across the sheet, connected by flowing lines and drapery that create a sense of movement and unity. The linear quality of the drawing emphasizes form over volume, creating a flattened space that evokes classical friezes. The radiating lines at the top of the sheet suggest the dawn, framing the figures in what seems like an allegorical representation of morning. The semiotic system at play here involves the symbolic use of line and form to convey abstract concepts, like time and narrative, reminiscent of Greek vase paintings. Flaxman reduces the scene to its most essential elements, challenging traditional representational values in favour of a more symbolic, structural approach. Notice, in particular, the economy of line and how much information is conveyed with so little tonal variation. It serves not merely as an aesthetic choice, but as a philosophical statement about the nature of representation itself.