Funeral after 1808

Editor: Here we have François Marius Granet's ink sketch, "Funeral," from the Harvard Art Museums. The rapid lines create a somber yet strangely ethereal mood. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Well, the immediacy grabs me. Imagine Granet, quickly capturing the scene, the weight of the ceremony pressing down. The stark lines almost feel like a collective breath held. Doesn't it make you wonder who's in that coffin? Editor: It does. I initially just saw a crowd, but your point about the breath held makes me feel the absence more acutely. Curator: Exactly! Absence, presence... it's a dance, isn't it? Granet makes us feel both. Art is funny like that! Editor: Absolutely! Thanks, that's a good way to look at it.