A Summer Girl 1896

Editor: This is Robert Lewis Reid’s “A Summer Girl” painted in 1896 with oil paints. The light and the pose give me such a relaxed, languid feeling... like those endless summer afternoons. What does it evoke in you? Curator: Ah, yes, a dreamy painting of a young woman on a porch, soaked in summer haze. It reminds me of lazy afternoons spent watching the clouds drift by. But beyond the pleasant scene, I see a confident woman looking toward the future with that gleam in her eyes, she could either run her home or paint art! Look how solid and assured she is! Editor: Confident is not quite what I saw, more "peaceful resignation"? Her pose appears so stiff. Curator: Interesting that you should read stiffness into it, but is that stiffness, or structure? In a world that was trying its darndest to keep women buttoned up and corseted both physically and spiritually... Reid is presenting us with an archetype of strength... almost defiance... Editor: Now I see it too, she really fills out the picture with all the large and soft curves and large hat, I think this summer girl is more powerful than I saw at first sight. Curator: Exactly. Isn’t it funny how one’s perception can shift with a little bit of reframing? What seems soft on the surface can belie an inner steel. Makes me think about art, or even people! How powerful a "first look" could impact us for many years... Editor: Absolutely! It's incredible how much more there is to discover beyond initial impressions. Thanks!