Study for ‘Twelfth Night’ c. 1850

Editor: This is Walter Howell Deverell's 'Study for Twelfth Night'. It's a drawing, and I’m really struck by the almost dreamlike quality of the scene. What catches your eye in this piece? Curator: The delicate lines evoke a sense of yearning, don't they? Deverell, so young when he died, seems to capture the bittersweet atmosphere of Shakespeare's play. Look at the way he uses the grid—almost like a musical score itself. Is it a cage, or a liberation? Editor: I hadn't thought of it as a score. So, the grid adds to the sense of unease? Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe it’s Deverell mapping out his own vision, trying to give form to the invisible. Art is a little like that, isn't it? Editor: That's a great way to look at it! I'll definitely remember that.