Corner of the Ambassador's Staircase at Versailles (recto); Sketches of Figures and Dolphins (verso) 1755 - 1810

Editor: Here we have Pierre Lelu’s "Corner of the Ambassador's Staircase at Versailles," a drawing with ink and watercolor on paper, placing its creation somewhere between 1755 and 1810. The composition is grand, almost overwhelming, yet rendered in such delicate detail. I'm particularly drawn to the monochromatic palette... What first captures your attention? Curator: Well, my dear Editor, I think what strikes me is its incomplete nature – the beauty in the suggestion of opulence. Lelu hasn't just shown us the Staircase; he’s given us a ghost of it, a memory swirling with ink and potential. It feels, somehow, like glimpsing a dream. Do you feel the whisper of history clinging to it? Editor: Absolutely, the 'ghost' is what speaks to me the most. How does Lelu's choice of medium – the ink and watercolor – contribute to this feeling? Curator: Ah, there's the cleverness! Watercolor, with its fluidity, allows the light to breathe through the image, creating that ephemeral quality. Ink provides the structure, the architectural backbone. Lelu juxtaposes fragility and grandeur. He understands that true power lies not in brute force, but in the whisper of influence. What message do you suppose this unfinished nature relays? Editor: Perhaps it speaks to the transient nature of power, even within the grand halls of Versailles? It also invites us to complete the picture in our own minds. Curator: Precisely! Lelu isn't just showing us a staircase; he's showing us the power of suggestion, of leaving something unsaid. Incomplete, unfinished... like life itself. A clever comment on both art and aristocracy, wouldn’t you say? Editor: I completely agree. It’s fascinating how much depth is contained within this seemingly unfinished sketch. I'll certainly carry a new perspective the next time I see his works.