Edith Sitwell 1935

Editor: So, here we have Wyndham Lewis's 1935 oil painting, "Edith Sitwell." It’s striking! The colors are quite bold, and she looks rather pensive, almost like she’s retreated into her own private world. What leaps out at you when you look at this piece? Curator: It's true, she's definitely cloaked in a world only she inhabits. It’s hard to believe that those colours, applied with what looks like near-reckless abandon, ultimately reveal the complex inner life of the sitter, isn’t it? And isn’t there something wonderfully humorous in the contrast of that very considered face peering out from the angular, almost chaotic, composition? Do you get that sense of underlying tension? Editor: Definitely! There's this push and pull – the sharp angles versus the soft face, the bold colours against the quiet mood. I’m just wondering, how much do you think knowing it's Edith Sitwell influences our reading of the work? Curator: Immensely! Think of Sitwell, the poet, critic, the great champion of modernism - then think about Lewis, another modernist firebrand. And of course their slightly spiky relationship. This isn't simply a portrait; it's a visual argument, a wrestling match between two powerful intellects, immortalized on canvas. One could almost call it a painted poem. Editor: Wow, a painted poem—I like that! I'll definitely think of their relationship as I look at the painting next time. Curator: It transforms it, doesn’t it? Art's like that, layers upon layers… And that, dear friend, is where the real adventure lies.