Curatorial Narrative The anonymous artist’s 1903. Happy New Year exists at the precipice of late Victorian art, where representational forms are giving way to more modernist inclinations. The linear brushwork that defines this piece is redolent of a bygone era, yet its stark black and white palette with judicious gold highlights bespeaks a nascent interest in formalism. In terms of technique, the artist’s reliance on linearity imbues the figure at center with an almost photographic quality, while the sparing use of ornamentation elsewhere serves to create an atmospheric sense of depth. When enlarged to 44×67 inches, the painting’s visual dynamics become even more pronounced. The stark black and white scheme acquires a newfound chromatic structure that can be leveraged by interior designers to striking effect. For instance, pairing this piece with richly textured surfaces such as velvet or marble creates a spatial rhythm that draws