Head of a Young Man 1933

Editor: This is Denman Waldo Ross's "Head of a Young Man," a drawing with a geometric system overlaid. It seems to be a study of proportion. What historical context informs this approach to portraiture? Curator: The visible grid tells us a lot. Ross was deeply invested in theories of harmonious proportion, aligning art with a sense of underlying order. Consider the early 20th-century context. Industrialization and social upheaval prompted many artists to seek stability in classical systems, a visual language rooted in mathematical principles. What's the effect of using that system so overtly here? Editor: I see. Presenting the system itself emphasizes the constructed nature of the image, almost like revealing the mechanics behind an ideal. I hadn't considered the social anxieties that might be at play. Thanks! Curator: Exactly. And thinking about it that way really unlocks the deeper meaning of this work.