Vignette of the first volume, page 165: Usage des Russes après le Mariage et avant la Noce, from Voyage en Sibérie fait par ordre du Roi en 1761 [...], Paris, 1768 by Chappe d'Auteroche 1767

Editor: This engraving, “Vignette of the first volume, page 165: Usage des Russes apr\u00e8s le Mariage et avant la Noce,” from 1767 by Augustin de Saint-Aubin depicts a scene of what looks like a pre-wedding ritual. The use of line work really captures the textures in the space. What do you make of the composition here? Curator: I am immediately drawn to the stark contrast between the detail given to the figures versus the setting. Note how the composition directs the viewer's eye across the staged figures, and the manner the hatching is rendered that brings all of the elements together. Consider also the visual weight afforded the central nude figure and its role within the broader construction. Do you see a compositional strategy at play? Editor: I do! It feels like the details encourage you to consider the figure and maybe downplay the environmental textures. But what’s interesting is that the scene itself feels like the subject, rather than the person at its center. Curator: Precisely. Note the linear perspective which functions primarily to contain the activities in the immediate foreground. And the figures almost resemble studies on varied emotions rather than accurate renderings of lived life, and the strategic choices contribute to a clear hierarchy. The formal decisions of Saint-Aubin seem intent on foregrounding a particular understanding of visual representation. Editor: So, it’s less about what’s being shown and more about how it’s being shown, as if he’s deliberately using the figures as focal points to explore ways of portraying humanity, emotions and spatial relationships? Curator: In essence, yes. The subject, the cultural context is of far less importance than the manner in which it is delivered and conceived through pictorial strategies. Consider how that visual grammar contributes meaning. Editor: This makes me consider how my own experience with form influences my understanding of artwork. Thanks! Curator: It's been my pleasure.