The Golden Age c. 1840

Curator: Watts' sketch, "The Golden Age," presents an idyllic scene, seemingly untouched by time. It's a small oil on canvas, measuring approximately 30 by 35 centimeters. Editor: The first thing I notice is the light, which feels like it's coming from within the scene itself, rather than reflecting off it. It almost feels like a craft guild experiment in luminosity. Curator: That internal light speaks to the symbolic weight of the subject matter, evoking a memory of primal innocence, a time before suffering and strife, a paradise lost. The figures, posed in classical arrangements, act as vehicles of this emotional landscape. Editor: But what about the materiality of that paradise? Looking closely, you can almost feel the quick, expressive brushstrokes on the canvas. The figures seem less like classical gods and more like quickly rendered bodies in an interesting composition. Curator: The rough brushwork, in my mind, serves to enhance the dreamlike, idealized quality of the Golden Age. It is a half-remembered state of innocence, never fully formed. Editor: Perhaps, but I see a craftsman exploring the possibilities of oil paint. Curator: It seems we both find our own Golden Age within this one. Editor: Indeed. I am left wondering about the specific batch of pigments Watts used and their historical context.