Comme En Quatre-Vingt Treize 1901

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this drawing called 'Comme En Quatre-Vingt Treize' with ink, and what strikes me first is the contrast, the dark ink marks building up density and weight on one side, and the light scratches, which barely kiss the paper, on the other. The inky darkness shows a leering crowd, their faces etched with cynicism, like gargoyles peering out of a gothic cathedral. On the other side, light explodes around two figures: a woman and a child. The marks are sparse, tentative, as if the artist is trying to capture something ephemeral, a fleeting moment of hope or innocence. Look at the hatching around the figures, how it radiates outward, suggesting a force field, an energy that pushes back against the darkness. It’s as though Steinlen is saying that even in the darkest times, there is still the possibility of light, of beauty, of something worth fighting for. The way Steinlen handles ink reminds me a little of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who wasn't afraid to look into the abyss. Art is about not giving up on the possibility of meaning, even when meaning seems impossible.