Study for figure of Dr. Benjamin Rush, in ‘Apotheosis of Pennsylvania’ mural at the state capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 

Curator: What we have here is Edwin Austin Abbey’s study for the figure of Dr. Benjamin Rush, meant for the ‘Apotheosis of Pennsylvania’ mural. It was destined for the state capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Editor: He looks so pensive, almost troubled. It’s an arresting image, the way he’s caught in what seems like a moment of deep contemplation. Curator: Precisely. Abbey employs colored pencil on paper, which allows for a nuanced exploration of texture and light. Notice the careful cross-hatching that defines the drapery of Rush’s coat. It lends a palpable weight to the figure, grounding him despite the allegorical setting of the final mural. Editor: Absolutely, but there's also something very vulnerable about how his fingers cradle his chin. And the lighting. The shadow cast by his hat shrouds part of his form. It seems to signal a vulnerability to external pressures or maybe even an inner conflict, wouldn't you say? Curator: Well, formally, that juxtaposition is really key. Abbey uses a limited palette here, earth tones primarily, drawing from the neoclassical style. That creates a sense of classical solemnity, lending an aura of timeless importance to Rush, a prominent physician and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Editor: But it also makes him so…human. These sketches give an intimate peek into the creative process; an exploration of gesture and emotion. Here, in this quiet study, we are witnesses to something far beyond a civic symbol; we are given access to the soul, however fleetingly, of one of the nation’s founders. Curator: It's that layering of emotion and representation, that academic balance and careful execution, that defines so much of Abbey's strength in the neoclassical idiom. Editor: Absolutely. It's a lovely little image. A gem that lets you drift into contemplation along with old Doc Rush.