Study for ‘Leda and the Swan’ c. 1950

Editor: Here we have William Roberts's 'Study for ‘Leda and the Swan’' from the Tate Collections. The pencil sketch gives the figures a monumental, almost surreal quality. What visual symbols strike you most powerfully? Curator: The swan, of course, is a potent symbol. Throughout history, across cultures, birds often represent transformation. And swans, specifically, have signified grace, beauty, but also deception. Editor: Deception? Curator: Yes, because of the Greek myth. Zeus disguises himself as a swan to seduce Leda. This act carries layers of cultural memory, doesn’t it? It speaks of power, vulnerability, and the blurred lines between divine and mortal. Editor: I see how those symbolic readings really enrich the composition. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. The study of symbols opens a world of cultural understanding.