Hermaphrodite c. 1780

Editor: This is Jacques Louis David's pencil drawing, "Hermaphrodite," from around 1780. There's something very calming in the pose, this figure reclining… almost meditative. What strikes you when you look at this, especially given its subject? Curator: Initially, I'm drawn to the treatment of line and volume. Note the hatching technique employed to render the figure’s form. Consider, too, the almost academic approach to anatomy, typical of neoclassical draftsmanship. The figure itself is secondary; it is the construction and careful rendering of form, light, and shadow that constitutes the drawing’s primary concern. Do you perceive a dynamism or perhaps a static quality in the composition? Editor: I see that balance between motion and stillness, mostly because of the… the sharp definition in some areas, like the drapery, versus the softer shading elsewhere. Is that contrast intentional, to draw your eye around the piece? Curator: Precisely! The considered deployment of these techniques fosters a sophisticated engagement with pictorial space. The variations of light create a sculptural dimension. It exemplifies the mastery David possessed in manipulating basic elements to construct a visual whole. One is not simply viewing an image of a hermaphrodite; rather, one confronts the pure potential of line, form and balance as articulated through drawing. How does analyzing the forms inform our reading? Editor: So, even divorced from the figure's identity, the technical aspects alone create the art, its own statement of artistic prowess. Thank you, it makes the image more about structure than subject, now that you've illuminated David’s formal choices.