Pensive
/Herman Maril
1934
American, 1908-1986
Oil on paper
Gift of the Herman Maril Foundation, made possible by Harmon-Meek Gallery
Florida Southern College Permanent Collection FP.2017.27.14
Maril gives us a terrific starting point in our consideration of a narrative for this painting. By naming it Pensive, he already ascribes a feeling not just to its central figure but also to the overall mood of the work as a whole. What does it mean to be pensive? If Maril had not provided that title and emotion for us, is that how you would have interpreted the emotions underlying her behavior? If not, what other feelings might you have detected here? What is she thinking about? Where is she? And why might she be so down?