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

Editor: This is a fascinating page from a scrapbook by Charles Percier, dating back to 1795-1805. It combines drawings and prints, all related to architecture, interiors, and furniture design. I’m immediately struck by the sheer variety of geometric shapes and the attention to detail. What draws your eye in this composition? Curator: Precisely the geometric forms that establish a dynamic interplay between the page’s drawings and prints. Percier masterfully integrates variations in tonal value – particularly in areas depicting detailed ornamentation and patterns on furnishings, interiors, and architectural façades. Consider the deliberate layering of elements and the strategic employment of crosshatching; how do these techniques guide your eye across the composition? Editor: I notice that some forms seem flatter and others more volumetric thanks to shading. I am particularly drawn to the symmetry in many of these designs. Could you speak more about the balance, or lack thereof, across the whole page? Curator: Certainly. Percier uses asymmetry as a tool here. Note the positioning of rectangular printed blocks along the upper register that shift in format. Likewise, note that these forms are visually offset against other non-rectangular designs to prevent monotony. How does that asymmetry play with your understanding of the work? Editor: It’s intriguing how that asymmetry brings a modern energy to such classical forms! Seeing all these elements together on one page gives the impression of both precision and spontaneity. Curator: Precisely. I am left contemplating how Percier presents this material. We can perceive order via the semiotics of balance with asymmetry—to engage the aesthetic logic via classical and non-classical forms. Editor: So, it’s about deconstructing those geometric elements and seeing how they work both individually and as part of a more comprehensive design. Curator: Indeed, it’s an analysis of these relations of component forms within the artistic whole. Editor: I’ve certainly gained a new perspective on how to appreciate the artist's engagement with the vocabulary of forms and materials, going beyond the subjects being represented. Curator: Likewise; I also reconsidered this work’s synthesis of various art practices: printing and drawing with geometric forms.