Ici... Pressez vous poete! 

Editor: We are looking at Jean-Louis Forain's drawing, "Ici... Pressez vous poete!", or "Here...Hurry Poet!" I am really captivated by its sort of raw, unfinished quality and the way the figure almost blends with the negative space. What stylistic elements strike you most about this sketch? Curator: It is the very sketch-like quality which compels me. Consider how the hatching of the blue pencil models form and shadow, creating a sense of volume with minimal means. Observe the linear quality of the pen, establishing contour but also activating the space around the figure, dissolving the boundaries between the subject and ground. Note, as well, the economy of line and its impact in defining not just shape but also texture, from the woman’s dress to the delicate plume in her hat. Editor: Yes, it feels like the drawing is still being discovered on the page. The lack of sharp detail, in some ways, enhances the feeling of motion and immediacy. Is this a common feature of Impressionist sketches? Curator: In many ways, yes. The active line, evident brushstrokes and visible armature all serve to reinforce the artist’s engagement with the materiality of the work, not unlike that espoused by Cezanne in his watercolors or Berthe Morisot’s plein air oils. Does this awareness change the reading of the work? Editor: I agree! By emphasizing the surface and the application of marks, Forain invites us to engage with the act of creation itself. I had not fully considered the parallel with Cezanne’s emphasis on geometric forms as well. It truly showcases the artistic process, offering insight into the construction of form and depth. Curator: Exactly, the drawing serves as a moment in time made material; one from which a larger or further realized composition might emerge, or equally, stands as its own complete realization. Editor: That makes perfect sense. I have new admiration for how Forain transformed mere sketches into an insightful artistic creation.