Curatorial Narrative In the oeuvre of Edwin Austin Abbey, “Study for figure of 3 pm for ‘The Hours’ ceiling at the state capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania” stands out as a paradigmatic example of his modernist inclinations. Created in 1991, this study embodies Abbey’s fascination with realism and figural representation, yet executed with a soft brushwork that imbues the piece with an air of subtlety.The palette is characterized by a restrained marriage of brown and white tones, punctuated by subtle shading that imbues the subject with an atmospheric weight. This chromatic structure creates a spatial rhythm that invites the viewer to negotiate the formal relationships between figure and ground. In its original size, this study would have functioned as a preparatory drawing for a much larger work, but when enlarged to 44×66, its presence becomes commanding.When scaled up, Abbey’s soft brushwork reveals itself to be more int