Spalatro's Left Leg, for "Spalatro's Vision of the Bloody Hand" 1830

Curator: Here we have a drawing by Washington Allston, Spalatro's Left Leg, for "Spalatro's Vision of the Bloody Hand," a preparatory sketch now held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Immediately, I get this sense of vulnerability from the exposed foot, almost like a fragment of a dream. What's the story behind Spalatro? Curator: Spalatro is a character from Ann Radcliffe's novel, The Italian, a gothic tale where Spalatro is a monk haunted by a bloody vision. Allston clearly was exploring themes of guilt and the macabre. Editor: That dark blob next to the leg becomes really potent knowing that, doesn't it? Like a shadow, or a weight. Curator: It could be a placeholder for another figure or object in the final composition, or perhaps it suggests the darkness that clings to Spalatro's psyche. Editor: It definitely adds a layer of psychological depth, like we're glimpsing into a character's tormented thoughts. Curator: Precisely. Allston uses this single limb to convey so much about the character's internal struggles and the larger narrative. Editor: Makes you wonder what dark places that leg has walked. Curator: Indeed, a potent symbol of a man burdened by his past.