Sleep Possibly 1898

Curator: Here we have Philip Wilson Steer's "Sleep," an oil on canvas held in the Tate collection. Editor: It's like a dream itself—hazy edges, intense red fabric, a figure dissolving into the scene. Curator: Steer was quite interested in Impressionism and the way it captured fleeting moments. Think about the actual labour required to create this. The canvas, the oils, the brushes. How does the consumption of materials affect our understanding of its value? Editor: Maybe sleep is like that too. A material need but also a portal—into memory, fantasy, fear. Look at the way the brushstrokes almost tremble; he's capturing the vulnerability of repose. It's like watching someone from the corner of your mind. Curator: The textures! The interplay of light on the fabrics, juxtaposed with the body... I wonder what Steer's model thought as she posed. Or rather, didn’t pose. Editor: It makes me think about our own unsustainable processes today and how we should be in touch with our own internal landscape. Curator: A little rest for thought, perhaps.