Clap of Thunder [recto] 

Alphonse Legros created this drawing titled "Clap of Thunder" using brown wash over graphite. Notice the figures and the trees in the landscape, all responding to a dramatic, unseen force. Consider the woman struck by a thunderbolt, recalling ancient depictions of figures overwhelmed by divine or natural power. One figure is prostrate, looking towards the heavens as though imploring for mercy. The other, hunched over, attempts to evade the force. Gestures of supplication and submission recur throughout art history, from classical sculptures of defeated enemies to religious paintings of saints in ecstasy. Here, the women's reactions evoke a primal, emotional response to nature's might, connecting to our collective memory of vulnerability. This drawing taps into a deep, subconscious understanding of human fragility in the face of the sublime. The emotional intensity conveyed through the figures' postures reminds us of art's power to engage us on a profound, psychological level.