Saint Germain l'Auxerrois, plate two from the Paris Set 1904

Curator: What strikes me first about this etching is its rather brooding quality. It’s like peering into a memory. Editor: I agree. It’s as if the artist, David Young Cameron, has captured not just the facade of Saint Germain l’Auxerrois in Paris but also a particular mood of the city in 1904, when this work was created as part of his Paris Set. Etchings like this, made on paper, really opened up art to the broader public sphere. Curator: Visually, that dominating bell tower… it feels almost confrontational, doesn't it? Rising like a visual declaration of faith. And the dark framing on either side lends such drama. Do you get a sense of religious authority here? Editor: Absolutely. Saint Germain l'Auxerrois has served as a key site through many periods of upheaval, revolution, and transition in Paris, powerfully associating itself with power. What symbols resonate for you most, considering Cameron likely visited as a tourist, as an outsider? Curator: The bustling crowd seems like they're blurring at the edges – which offers an impression of constant motion juxtaposed with that solid architecture looming above. Almost as though history and fleeting present tense intermingle here... Editor: A constant push-and-pull informs so many views of Paris, even today. How public spaces mediate different classes, for example... Do you find an art nouveau sensibility in Cameron's treatment? I do, but tinged with the smokiness of Impressionism. Curator: I think I see the Art Nouveau most in its intricate detailing—the way the lines curve and flow. The very process of etching supports the organic rendering that Art Nouveau seemed to embrace. There's a beautiful melancholic effect, perhaps unintentional. Editor: A lasting image. The etching highlights how our views of the church can shift dramatically with different historical lenses. Curator: I like how you said that; it reframes everything I originally understood! Thank you.