Les Internes Preparatory drawing for 1915

Editor: Here we have Thèophile Alexandre Steinlen's "Les Internes, Preparatory drawing for", created in 1915. It's a pencil drawing, and it evokes a sense of weariness and destitution. What do you see in this piece, particularly considering the time it was created? Curator: It's more than just weariness, isn't it? Look at the bowed heads, the clinging to each other, the sticks for support. There is an almost Biblical procession here, wouldn't you agree? We know Steinlen chronicled the struggles of the working class, but in 1915, as war raged, this image takes on the symbolism of societal breakdown, the weight of displacement. Notice the prominence given to those walking, Steinlen uses them as symbolic figures representing an everyman navigating their individual circumstances. It recalls Daumier, no? But even more haunting in its simplicity. Editor: Absolutely. The leading figure with the walking stick…he looks burdened not just physically, but psychologically too. The lines around his face create such a presence, so close. It almost asks "Are you willing to see me?" What I thought was realism could also be Steinlen heightening the emotional aspect through expressionistic portraiture. Curator: Precisely. The stark realism underscores the universality of suffering, the eternal recurrence of hardship in human history. Note the recurring symbol of the stick for support which highlights frailty as well as the ability of these anonymous people to continue on through the circumstances. The art lies in allowing each person to find themselves somewhere in that group, and realize our connection to one another, even across time. Does seeing those historical connections change how you view it? Editor: It does. It's not just a depiction of poverty, but an embodiment of enduring human resilience.