Pierette (Alice N.) 1906

Albert Belleroche made this sanguine drawing of Alice, or Pierette as he affectionately called her, using delicate lines and subtle shading. It feels like a conversation between the artist and his muse, a dance of looking and interpreting. I can imagine Belleroche, squinting at Alice, trying to capture her essence with each stroke of the crayon. What was she thinking as she sat for him? Was she bored, or was she complicit in this act of creation, aware of the power of her own image? The way the lines build up to create form reminds me of the drawings of Watteau or even some of Degas' pastels – there is a similar appreciation for the beauty of the human form and the expressive potential of line. It’s a reminder that we are always in dialogue with the past, building on the ideas and techniques of those who came before us.