Conciliabule 1916

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this monochrome drawing, ‘Conciliabule’, using soft, powdery charcoal. I imagine Steinlen delicately layering the charcoal, coaxing out the tones and textures, rubbing back and forth to create these smoky surfaces. The image shows three figures in uniform, their heads leaning in, absorbed in hushed conversation. Maybe Steinlen saw them on a street corner and quickly sketched them, capturing a moment of shared intimacy and concern. I can almost hear the murmur of their voices, the clinking of their equipment. And then there's that small black cat at the bottom, listening in. Steinlen’s work often focused on social issues and the lives of ordinary people. ‘Conciliabule’ reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz’s drawings, in which the artist similarly used charcoal to convey the weight and weariness of human suffering. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity, using the simple application of charcoal on paper to convey so much.