Old Village (Ville vieille) 

Curator: We’re looking at an etching entitled "Old Village," by Alphonse Legros. Editor: A rather pensive scene, wouldn't you say? The pale tones give it an air of nostalgia, like a faded photograph holding onto distant memories. Curator: Indeed. Note the tonal gradations Legros achieves with densely worked lines, particularly on the hill sloping downwards toward the left side. The texture is so carefully built that one could almost imagine this area in shades of gray. Editor: The prominence of nature, especially the large, leafy tree that dominates the right side. Trees, of course, are a powerful symbol of life and longevity, a connection to one’s roots. Could this ‘Old Village’ represent a yearning for a simpler past? Curator: Possibly. Though what strikes me is the almost obsessive quality of line and hatching to suggest depth, atmosphere and even texture; particularly in the almost claustrophobic intersection of tree limbs and densely packed flora. There's little visible indication of what buildings actually remain, nor the humans who once inhabited them. Editor: But consider how such elements allow for greater imaginative possibility. What sort of people might have lived in that town? What were their daily lives like? That sense of longing could be for any place with meaning to anyone at any given moment. Legros presents an emblem of a shared sentiment through easily digestible iconography. Curator: An intriguing theory. What I can't deny is how meticulously structured Legros’ scene is; from the lightest tone at the top of the etching to the most forceful network of hatched lines in the foreground and the use of blank space at the top as an ideal field to contrast it. Editor: Perhaps we're both right, the objective reality of composition and emotional resonance, combined! It really speaks to the timeless appeal of such a print. Curator: A fascinatingly constructed print which reminds us about how line and tone establish mood and form in a two dimensional medium.