Jüngling im Dreiviertelprofil nach links 

Editor: Here we have Jean-Baptiste Greuze's "Jüngling im Dreiviertelprofil nach links," a drawing using chalk and ink, currently held at the Städel Museum. The sketch is quite striking. What compositional elements stand out to you? Curator: The work commands attention through its masterful manipulation of line and form. Observe how Greuze establishes volume primarily through contour. He also employs hatching to model shadow and bring depth to the face. The hair is rendered almost sculpturally, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Yes, definitely. The hair looks so alive, in contrast to the softer modeling of the face. It feels very intentional. Can you speak more about the implications of that choice? Curator: Consider the interplay between line quality and tonal variation. The confident, unbroken contours around the jaw and brow create a sense of structural integrity, while the softer, blended chalk in the cheek suggests a yielding surface. Notice, also, how the blank space around the figure defines the image as separate planes of material; is that figure emerging from the plane? Or set atop it? This, ultimately, leaves an open potentiality with regard to our comprehension of the whole figure. Editor: That's fascinating. So, the artist's strategic use of medium and technique affects our perception of the subject and the very plane the image is on? Curator: Precisely. And let's consider, too, the implications of its being unfinished. Does its incompleteness become another part of the composition itself? Editor: I never considered that. This really gives me a lot to think about concerning line, form, and even how to perceive what the artist did not complete. Curator: Indeed, viewing art from a formal perspective enables us to see not just what is depicted but also how the very language of art constructs meaning.