Lyre Players, after Della Robbia 19th-20th century

Curator: Martin Mower's "Lyre Players, after Della Robbia," currently housed here at the Harvard Art Museums, presents a fascinating study in artistic homage. Editor: It’s so understated. Almost like a whisper of a memory, rendered in delicate pencil strokes. Curator: Indeed. This piece echoes the iconic reliefs by Della Robbia, focusing on the figures and their relationships, but removing them from their original architectural setting. The texture created by the pencil work provides a softness in stark contrast to the original's glazed terracotta. Editor: I can see the appeal of terracotta, but the pencil has a more human touch. You see the artist's process, the delicate way he crafted his version of that Renaissance joy. It makes me wonder about the labor involved in each method. Curator: An interesting question! It highlights our changed relationship with craft. In this re-imagining, Mower invites us to reconsider how we relate to artworks of the past. Editor: Leaving me wondering, what will future artists recreate from our own age of production? Curator: A delicious question.