Page from a Scrapbook containing Drawings and Several Prints of Architecture, Interiors, Furniture and Other Objects 1795 - 1805

Editor: This page, taken from a scrapbook by Charles Percier from around 1795 to 1805, is composed of various architectural drawings and prints on paper. The linear quality and the geometry within each miniature work gives me a sense of structured elegance. What catches your eye? Curator: Immediately, I observe the interplay of positive and negative space created by the varying sizes and placements of the prints. Notice how the artist doesn't attempt to create an illusion of depth, but rather emphasizes the surface quality of the page through line and the contrasting tones of paper. Are these formal decisions merely aesthetic, or do you think they suggest something about the artist's intent? Editor: That’s interesting, I hadn't considered the flatness as a conscious choice. It’s as if the drawings are meant to be appreciated for their individual form, without contributing to one larger picture. Perhaps Percier wanted each design to be isolated and celebrated for its visual design? Curator: Precisely. Consider the variations in line weight—from delicate pencil strokes to bolder printed lines. How do these distinctions affect your perception of each element? Is there a hierarchy implied by this variance? Editor: I see now; the thicker lines create emphasis. The image with the crown seems the most important as the lines are heavier, as are the ornamentals. Curator: It shows how different forms create different relationships. It prompts the questions, What are forms without surface? Does function follow forms? Editor: Thinking about each piece individually and about how all the forms fit together provides different contexts and perspectives I didn’t recognize when I began. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure; I hope this changed the way you experience this type of art.