Sleeper (Un dormeur) 

Editor: Here we have Alphonse Legros' etching "Sleeper," sometimes referred to as "Un dormeur." There's an undeniable intimacy to the work, almost voyeuristic. I can practically feel the weight of the man's exhaustion. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see more than exhaustion, I think. I see the raw vulnerability of surrendering to rest. Legros uses the etching technique to brilliant effect here, doesn’t he? All those interwoven lines...it feels like he's capturing the very texture of a weary soul. Have you ever felt that your weariness had a texture? Almost scratchy or prickly? Editor: I think I have, yes! It's like the etching lines are sketching out his very thoughts! Do you think there's a social commentary at play here? I can't help but think about labor. Curator: Perhaps, yes! Absolutely. The slumped posture, the way he's almost crumpled onto himself...it could certainly speak to the burdens carried by the working class, then and even now. And that simple garment--do you see any evidence of finery? No! Only simplicity. It almost invites us to consider the narratives we don't often see immortalized in art, no? How delicious that Legros makes us want to celebrate this very private moment in our audio guide. What does this portrait tell us about ourselves? Editor: It's true; we are so often only exposed to glory in our galleries. This forces me to reflect on my own privileges...to truly appreciate the down time to create and to rest! Curator: Precisely! It is about reminding us to feel gratitude, too. Art is so sneaky because when it really works it teaches us so much more about ourselves. Editor: I hadn’t quite thought of it that way, thank you. That changes how I see it completely.