Portrait of Zarrin Kashi Overlooking Whitechapel High Street 1981

Curator: Leonard McComb's "Portrait of Zarrin Kashi Overlooking Whitechapel High Street" presents a nude woman gazing out a window. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is the intense, almost obsessive layering of lines. It feels both delicate and incredibly laboured. Curator: McComb, born in 1930, often explored spiritual themes. The location, Whitechapel, a historically working-class area of London, adds social context. Editor: The materiality is key. Those countless strokes must have been meditative, perhaps even challenging the traditional academic nude by embedding it in a specific urban, working-class space. Curator: The gaze is upward, hopeful maybe, despite the potentially bleak urban setting. It challenges the traditional male gaze often associated with nude portraiture. Editor: Absolutely, and the labor-intensive technique mirrors the unseen labour of those living and working in that very landscape. It's a powerful, quiet statement.