Sean's Pulse
/Robert Remsen Vickrey
c. 1977
American, 1926-2011
Lithograph, edition of 150; AP 2/15
Gift of Scott, Nicole, and Carri Vickrey, made possible by Harmon-Meek Gallery
Florida Southern College Permanent Collection FP.2017.19.4
We can never get inside of the heads of illustrated figures in art to know definitively what they are thinking or feeling. But many artists, like Robert Vickrey, invite us to try to do so. In this picture of his son Sean, the artist presents the viewer with a seemingly simple rendering of an adolescent taking his pulse. But the very act of taking one’s pulse — of exploring one’s own living state — can be viewed simultaneously as matter-of-fact or deeply existential. That Vickrey chose to depict his son performing this task (as opposed to say reading a book, playing ball, or sitting for a formal portrait) should suggest to us that we should consider the larger story and inner psychological motivations underlying Sean’s taking his pulse. How does Sean feel? What type of young man might he be? How does the way his father has represented him, with beautiful cross-hatching limited to his exposed skin, impact our impression of Sean or his psyche?