Jonge vrouw leest een brief 1780

Editor: Here we have Louis Bernard Coclers' "Young Woman Reading a Letter," created around 1780. It looks like a pencil sketch on toned paper, with delicate, light lines. I am fascinated by the details that Coclers achieved with just pencil. What formal qualities stand out to you in this piece? Curator: Observe the carefully modulated hatching lines which define form and texture. Notice, too, how Coclers uses the tonal properties of the paper itself. This gives us depth of field and contrast. The woman, with the carefully rendered textile patterns on her elaborate gown and feathered headdress, are rendered with impressive precision, drawing the viewer's attention to the tactile qualities. Do you see how Coclers has separated foreground from background by variations in line density? Editor: Yes, now I see how the hatching is more concentrated to the right and bottom to define form. Curator: Exactly. The very act of reading becomes an aesthetic exercise. Even the reflected figures within the drawing add to its compositional depth, drawing our eye and enhancing the structure. Editor: So, the structure of the image guides our viewing and encourages an active visual and cognitive reading. What should the contemporary viewer make of this structural and symbolic layering, as distinct from the narrative implication of the title? Curator: One appreciates how the aesthetic power emerges from his subtle structural arrangements. We become immersed not only in the act of seeing, but of seeing *through* a sophisticated, formalized system. Editor: Thanks, I didn’t initially pick up on how much Coclers emphasizes the aesthetic and tactile experience through his technique! Curator: My pleasure. Considering such elements enables one to truly grasp the mastery demonstrated within the work.