Trying to explain her painterly intentions to the widower and botanist William Bankes, she says, "A light here required a shadow there," a statement that could apply to every human enterprise.
The government's "economic credibility is in tatters" following the Autumn Statement, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has said.
In a statement, shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said there was no evidence the Falkland Islanders wished to change their nationality and added: "Something more important than the Empire's legacy was and is at stake: the universal right to self-determination and our belief that diplomatic dispute should be resolved by democracy rather than the uptake of arms".
In the context of Ms. Cholodenko's movie — a comedy of domestic manners and misunderstandings set amid the liberal-minded American middle class — "The Kids Are All Right" is a statement shadowed by an implicit question: Aren't they?
Far worse, of course, was the statement by shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt.
The first is the appointment of John McDonnell as shadow chancellor, a clear statement about direction of travel.
The former shadow cabinet minister's statement comes after Chris Leslie, another Labour MP and a former interim shadow chancellor, attacked Labour's "hard left" for allegedly not tolerating dissent.
In a speech setting out Labour's priorities ahead of Hammond's first financial statement, the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, will say continuing with austerity over a longer period would further undermine the government's reputation after a succession of missed deficit targets.
"Shadows is a pure statement of Teller's taste," Penn once told me.
And he should insist on ministers and shadow ministers making shorter statements.
The document, described by the Conservatives as a "cost analysis of Labour party policy", makes claims about what Ed Miliband's party would spend in the first year of a new parliament based on policies, statements by shadow ministers and assumptions about cuts that Labour would reverse.
