Sketches (recto and verso) c. 19th century

Curator: This is "Sketches (recto and verso)" by William Etty, a collection of studies on paper, housed right here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: What strikes me immediately is the dynamic tension within its composition; the interplay between clarity and ambiguity. Curator: Absolutely. Etty, though undated, used this sheet as a kind of visual notepad, capturing fleeting ideas. Notice the circular motifs, almost like symbolic portals or perhaps cosmological mandalas. Editor: And the way the figures emerge from the ground. Semiotically, it feels like a negotiation between form and void, where the paper is both canvas and absence. Curator: Perhaps reflecting Etty's fascination with classical ideals? Or maybe echoes of a personal mythology—visual shorthand for grand narratives. Editor: I appreciate how the raw, unrefined quality invites the viewer to actively participate in the construction of meaning. Curator: Indeed, it's a glimpse into the artist's process, a space where symbols coalesce. Editor: A testament to the power of suggestion.