Page from a Scrapbook containing Drawings and Several Prints of Architecture, Interiors, Furniture and Other Objects 1795 - 1805

This is a page from a scrapbook by Charles Percier, made with graphite and pen. It shows architectural drawings and prints, evoking a sense of classical order and meticulous planning. The composition is divided, the left featuring detailed architectural elevations and landscaping sketches, while the right remains mostly blank. Percier employs precise linework to define the structures, emphasizing symmetry and proportion. There’s an intriguing interplay between the detailed renderings and the open space, inviting us to consider the dialogue between the built environment and the void. Percier, known for his role in shaping the Empire style, showcases a fascination with classical forms, visible in the building's design. The scrapbook format reveals an intimate glimpse into the architect’s creative process, almost like a personal spatial laboratory. The blank space serves not just as an absence but as a potential, reflecting the ongoing dialectic between what is and what could be. It highlights the tension between the concrete and the conceptual.