Madame Charles Hayard, born Jeanne Susanne 

Editor: We’re looking at a pencil drawing by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, entitled "Madame Charles Hayard, born Jeanne Susanne.” While it’s undated, it's striking how modern the lines feel. The portrait captures the subject's face with a soft, almost photographic quality, but then the details of her dress are looser. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Note the incisive line work throughout. While seemingly simple, Ingres masterfully employs hatching and cross-hatching to define form and create tonal variation, moving beyond a purely linear description. How do you see Ingres deploying semiotics here? Editor: Well, the hat, for instance, frames her face but doesn't fully define it. Curator: Precisely. Observe how Ingres prioritizes a delicate balance between verisimilitude and formal abstraction. He isn't merely representing Madame Hayard; rather, he is actively constructing a visual language of lines, angles, and volumes. The success depends upon Ingres' conscious arrangement of these purely formal elements, their interplay establishing pictorial harmony and ultimately affecting the viewer's perception. Consider, too, how light and shadow play across the planes of her face, subtly enhancing her character. Editor: That’s interesting, focusing on the elements and how they work together, and their relationship. What do you think is the piece's most arresting visual component? Curator: It's Ingres' confident handling of the pencil, generating not merely likeness but also beauty and elegance, evident in how his pencil evokes shape, texture, and value. Note how the rendering becomes slightly flatter, suggesting this piece might be a preliminary study. But within those restraints are endless layers of sophisticated choices. Editor: Thinking about the process rather than the person helps highlight the work's features and strengths. Curator: Agreed, it gives us an understanding beyond the superficial, revealing Ingres’ genius in structuring a complex and compelling composition using just the humble pencil.