Profile Head of a Man 19th-20th century

Editor: This is "Profile Head of a Man," a pencil drawing by Denman Waldo Ross, housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels very immediate and raw. What story do you think this sketch is telling? Curator: This seemingly simple sketch carries echoes of turn-of-the-century anxieties around masculinity and representation. Note the almost clinical precision, yet also a vulnerability in the subject’s gaze. The rigid lines intersecting the face could represent societal pressures, anxieties of the male gaze, or even the artist's struggle with depicting identity. Where do you think this work fits within the broader narratives of portraiture at the time? Editor: I hadn't considered the societal pressures aspect. Thinking about it within a broader context definitely opens up new avenues for interpretation. Curator: Indeed. Art is never created in a vacuum.