Sketchbook page c. 1776

Curator: Here we have a sketchbook page by Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin, part of the collection at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by its fragile grace. It feels like a whisper, a fleeting moment captured in graphite. Curator: Indeed. Note the economy of line, the way Saint-Aubin suggests form with such minimal means. Observe how the hatching creates volume and depth. Editor: It's almost like he's trying to catch a memory, the lines trailing off as if the thought might vanish at any moment. What do you make of the loose strokes? Curator: They function as a visual shorthand, abstracting the planes of the face and suggesting the ephemeral nature of perception itself. Editor: I see it more as the artist thinking aloud, trying different angles, feeling out the form as he goes. It's intimate, like a peek inside his creative process. Curator: Perhaps a confluence of both? In either case, it’s fascinating how this simple sketch can reveal so much about Saint-Aubin’s artistic sensibility. Editor: It's a reminder that even the smallest sketch can hold a universe of intention and feeling.