Zittend meisje met hoed 1895

Curator: Standing before us is "Zittend meisje met hoed," or "Seated Girl with Hat," created around 1895 by Jacques-Émile Blanche, employing both charcoal and pencil in this tender drawing. Editor: It’s funny, isn’t it? This girl just *feels* pensive, almost as if she's dreaming awake in that very moment. You can almost catch a snippet of her train of thought just by observing her gentle repose and those longing, faraway eyes. Curator: Precisely, and the beauty is found in the masterful use of line and shadow that builds to a cohesive atmospheric work with structural integrity. Notice how the hatch marks defining the sitter's ruffled dress converge into the picture plane as dark values establish an overall atmospheric tone that complements the light grey background. Editor: Oh, I completely agree—it’s hard not to just get absolutely swept away! She looks so innocent, yet there's this undeniable sense of self-possession. She appears as if on the cusp of knowing some deep, old secret about life, you know? Curator: Indeed. Blanche certainly wields both pencil and charcoal deftly here, no? What I enjoy is the texture he achieves on the various planes of the young girl's countenance—from the bridge of her nose to the curvature of her cheeks to the rounded, bulbous frills adorning the girl's bonnet. A marvelous study in grey values! Editor: Absolutely! Looking closer, it is her gaze and the slightly parted lips that render the overall drawing so lifelike. Those eyes appear as windows to the soul; it almost startles me to realize the medium is “just” graphite on a sheet of woven paper. It almost brings this scene of youthful innocence into full song. Curator: Agreed, a lovely conversation we had about the construction and character of Blanche’s work, offering a lens through which to interpret its compositional nature! Editor: I couldn’t agree more; let’s hope those listening share in the art and feeling within!