Studies of Peasants, Barges, Etc. 

Editor: So, here we have John Varley's 'Studies of Peasants, Barges, Etc.' It's undated, but he lived between 1778 and 1842. It's a collection of pencil sketches, and it feels like catching fleeting glimpses of everyday life. What jumps out at you when you look at this? Curator: It’s like rifling through Varley's sketchbook, isn't it? I see Varley searching, playfully capturing snippets of ordinary moments. See the way the light catches the boats, the quiet intimacy of the figures—it's like he's whispering secrets of the riverbank. Do you think he found what he was looking for? Editor: That's lovely. I hadn't thought about it like that, his seeking. Maybe it's not about finding, but the joy of observing. Curator: Exactly! It's the poetic potential in the mundane, the artist's dance with the world around him, a lovely unfinished symphony.