Illustration to ‘Clarissa’: Two Women Standing 

Curator: Let's discuss Thomas Stothard's undated sketch, "Illustration to 'Clarissa': Two Women Standing," held at the Tate. Editor: It strikes me as fragile, almost ephemeral, with the delicate lines barely capturing the figures. The composition seems intentionally unresolved, creating a sense of quiet tension. Curator: Indeed. Stothard, born in 1755, was a prolific illustrator, and this piece offers a glimpse into the 18th-century book industry and the demand for images reflecting sentimental narratives. It makes one consider the accessibility of art in that era through printed media. Editor: Yet, the bareness of the medium, the almost unfinished quality, concentrates our attention on the formal qualities. The contrast between the draped figure and the more exposed one is interesting; it suggests different states of vulnerability, rendered purely through line and form. Curator: Perhaps, but what if the 'unfinished' aspect highlights the economics of artistic production; the need for swift execution within a growing commercial market, and the labor required? Editor: I am more compelled by the implied narrative and the subtle interplay of forms; it is a study in contrasts, rendered beautifully. Curator: A productive tension between commerce and craft, it seems!