Drawing for Right Panel of ‘Resurrection: Waking Up’ 

Curator: This is a drawing by Sir Stanley Spencer, entitled "Drawing for Right Panel of ‘Resurrection: Waking Up’", part of the Tate collection. The sepia tones create quite an effect, don't you think? Editor: It does, though for me the grid immediately catches the eye – it reveals the labour and calculation beneath the supposed spiritual awakening. Curator: Perhaps, but I also see it as a kind of net, holding the figures in a state of suspended animation, of expectant faith. Editor: Or maybe that grid is representative of the social constraints or material conditions which are a constant, whether one is asleep or awake. It is all on a simple support measuring 276 x 403 mm after all. Curator: It's fascinating how Spencer can evoke such grand themes on paper, and invite such varied interpretations. Editor: Yes, a study of contrasts between the material and the ethereal, rendered so thoughtfully.