Rising (Le Lever) 1925

Editor: So here we have "Rising," or "Le Lever," a 1925 drawing by Jules Pascin, rendered with pencil on paper. There's a sort of casual intimacy to it. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: From a materialist perspective, the choice of pencil and paper is crucial. These readily available materials democratize artmaking. This wasn't about expensive oils or bronze; this was about accessibility, about capturing a fleeting moment, quickly and efficiently, that mirrors a rapidly shifting social context of interwar Europe. Editor: So, the accessibility of materials speaks to something larger? Curator: Absolutely. Pascin depicts a woman, arguably a sex worker given the stocking detail and dishabille, not idealized, but presented in a moment of vulnerability. Considering the societal realities – the post-war economic hardships and the flourishing of brothels – the drawing implicates the viewer in the material conditions that led to this scenario. It also bypasses formal academic art by showcasing its immediacy. How do you think the 'unfinished' quality plays a part? Editor: I see what you mean. It isn't trying to hide its construction. You can see the artist's hand, the process of building up the image. The roughness of the medium removes any romanticism... Curator: Exactly. It highlights the labor of creation, challenging notions of artistic genius and pointing to the economics behind artistic representation. It encourages us to consider the conditions of production, both for the art and the sitter. Editor: This changes how I look at portraiture, focusing on materials and what they represent. Curator: Indeed. Material analysis reveals hidden social and economic relationships within art, expanding our understanding beyond the purely aesthetic.