His Majesty’s Servants 1935

Curator: James Boswell's "His Majesty's Servants," held here at the Tate, immediately strikes me as a caricature of power. It's stark, almost brutally so. Editor: Yes, the economy of line is remarkable. The faces are wonderfully grotesque, their hats symbols of rank, yet they look almost deflated, don't they? Curator: They do. It feels like a critique of the establishment, a sardonic wink at the self-importance of those in authority, rendered in simple monochrome. Perhaps there is a subtle nod to class dynamics and performative identities? Editor: It certainly begs questions about who they serve, and at what cost. Is it duty, or self-preservation, that contorts their features so? Curator: I think it's both, intertwined like the tendrils of a rather grim joke. Editor: A joke with a rather dark punchline, it seems. Boswell’s sharp economy really packs a punch, doesn't it? I feel the cold weight of institutional power. Curator: Precisely! A power that, even in its own time, was ripe for a bit of skewering. Editor: Indeed. It speaks volumes, with so little on the page.