The Conflagration c. 19th century

Curator: Let's discuss Alphonse Legros's striking print, "The Conflagration," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. What's your initial reaction? Editor: Raw terror, almost palpable! The etching is just a furious network of lines, but they convey so much panic. Curator: Exactly, and consider Legros's process – the acid biting into the metal plate, creating these frantic marks. It mirrors the destructive energy he's depicting. Editor: It's about more than just the fire though, isn't it? The slumped shoulders of the man carrying a child...the woman shielding her face. It screams of societal disruption. Curator: Certainly. It speaks to the vulnerable laboring classes and the ever-present threat of their world collapsing, quite literally, in flames. Editor: And the starkness of the print, the near absence of any comforting detail, reinforces the vulnerability of their material conditions. Curator: True. It's a poignant reminder that even in art, fire reveals more than it consumes. Editor: Ultimately, a work of stark beauty born from the harsh realities of labor.