Statue of Louis XIV n.d.

Curator: Here we have a pencil drawing attributed to Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne II, titled "Statue of Louis XIV." It's part of the collection here at the Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: The immediacy of the pencil strokes gives it such life. It feels more like a preparatory sketch for a grander, possibly unrealized, sculpture. But the costume and details, even in this form, smack of absolutist power. Curator: Absolutely. Louis XIV understood the power of imagery. The Sun King's self-fashioning was central to solidifying royal authority in the 17th and 18th centuries. We see it in architecture, paintings, and yes, sculptures too. Drawings like this, studies for larger works, are crucial to understanding that visual culture. Editor: The fact that it's a drawing on paper adds a layer, doesn't it? Pencil inherently feels more accessible, less monumental than, say, marble. There's a vulnerability almost, which contradicts the armour and shield… and that undeniably royal face! The figure is heroic but there’s also an awkward fragility to the limbs and the slight softness around the mouth. Curator: That’s a compelling observation. Think about the context of absolutism – the king *was* the state. This vulnerability could unintentionally reveal the anxieties beneath the surface of seemingly untouchable authority. Consider also the historical period of this piece—drawing held immense value. It wasn’t seen as a mere preliminary process, but as a vital form of invention. Editor: It also makes me think about the labour involved in upholding such a constructed image. All those draftsmen, sculptors, weavers… the whole court mobilized to produce and sustain this vision of Louis XIV as the embodiment of France. This single sketch stands in for such complex mechanisms of power. And perhaps speaks also of the economic disparity of his reign. Curator: Indeed, visual strategies under Louis XIV went hand in hand with political strategies, all interwoven. Drawings like this are remnants that help us interrogate how power functions within a given culture and time period. Editor: So, while it may seem like a simple pencil sketch of a royal figure, there's a whole world of social and political history to unpack just within this image. Curator: Precisely. I hope that this conversation provided a better appreciation of how artworks, no matter their size or medium, offer us powerful avenues for investigating historical processes and our own cultural values.