Skeleton of a Gorilla, for "Art Anatomy" 1872

Editor: So, this is William Rimmer’s "Skeleton of a Gorilla," probably from around the mid-19th century. It looks like a drawing in graphite. I find the precision oddly beautiful; it's so clinical, yet it carries this subtle melancholic air. What strikes you most about it? Curator: That melancholic air… yes! Rimmer, a doctor as well as an artist, seemed fascinated by the body's architecture, its strength but also its fragility. Look how delicately he renders each vertebra, like a string of pearls. It's as if he's asking us to contemplate our own animal nature, isn’t it? Editor: Definitely something to think about. It really makes you appreciate the artist’s eye for detail. Curator: Exactly! And maybe even our own mortality, too. A bit morbid, perhaps, but compelling nonetheless.