Plate II, from Rules for Drawing Caricaturas 1788

Editor: So, this is Francis Grose's "Plate II, from Rules for Drawing Caricaturas," dated 1788. It's an etching and engraving on paper, and it shows a series of numbered noses and mouths. I'm immediately struck by the clean lines and the almost scientific way the faces are deconstructed. What elements jump out at you? Curator: The piece presents an intriguing interplay of line, form, and sequential organization. Note how Grose meticulously outlines each feature, reducing the complexities of the human face to a set of essential curves and angles. Editor: It feels like he's creating a sort of alphabet for caricature. Are there any specific formal qualities that particularly define it as a successful drawing, in your opinion? Curator: Consider the economy of line, its variance in thickness and weight used to suggest volume and shadow. How each individual component is neatly organized and contained in a strict grid, contributing to an analytical framework. Editor: The grid almost gives it a sense of clinical detachment. Curator: Precisely! This separation enables a study of abstract form and demonstrates how variations in shape generate distinctions between facial types, which might underscore inherent biases prevalent during this period. Editor: That's fascinating! The formalism illuminates a system not just of art, but also of cultural assumptions. Looking at this work, it challenges one to examine how societal assumptions become formalized into our vision, and informs the art-making practice itself. Curator: Indeed. What one gleans here is how the formal structures of art and the societal structures are inextricable and create meaning together.