Portrait of Victor Dupré c. 1840

Curator: This is Théodore Chassériau's "Portrait of Victor Dupré," currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. I find the sitter's gaze so compelling; it's like he's sharing a secret, or maybe just a wry observation. Editor: The rapid, almost telegraphic, application of the graphite really grabs me. You can see the hand of the artist at work, the texture of the paper, the very 'making' of the image. Curator: Absolutely. And that sketch-like quality actually lends a certain vulnerability to Dupré, don't you think? Like we're catching him in a moment of unguarded introspection. It's hauntingly intimate. Editor: Intimate, yes, but also think about the materials themselves. Graphite, paper – readily available, almost democratic. A far cry from the preciousness of oil and canvas often associated with portraiture. Curator: True, but Chassériau elevates these humble materials, infusing them with such elegance. It makes you wonder about their relationship. What was said, what was felt during the sittings? Editor: Or, consider who could afford a portrait, even one in graphite. It speaks to a rising middle class, maybe, a shift in artistic patronage beyond the aristocracy. Curator: Perhaps, but for me, it’s the simple human connection, captured with such delicate precision, that resonates most profoundly. Editor: And for me, it's thinking about the labor that went into the paper, the graphite, the act of drawing itself. Two sides of the same coin, I suppose.