Devant L'Invasion 1915

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this print, Devant L'Invasion, using etching, a process where lines are bitten into a metal plate. The whole image is made up of these lines, scratchy and full of energy, as though Steinlen was trying to capture a fleeting moment. The texture feels rough, and the lack of color really emphasizes the desperation of the figures. Look at how the lines create dark shadows under their eyes and around their mouths – you can almost feel their fear and exhaustion. See the way the lines in the sky are horizontal and the lines in the earth are diagonal, heightening the sense of perspective, and drawing our eye into the crowd of refugees. It reminds me a little of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who was really interested in portraying the struggles of working-class people. Both artists weren’t afraid to leave things raw and unfinished. And just like them, our experience of seeing isn’t about closure but staying open to feeling and imagining.