Studieblad met drie naakte vrouwen c. 1903 - 1904

Curator: Looking at this piece, I am struck by how intimate it feels—almost like peering into the artist’s personal sketchbook. Editor: Yes! There is a quiet vulnerability to it, and the quick strokes of the pencil suggest captured, fleeting moments. Curator: Indeed. What we have here is “Study Sheet with Three Nude Women,” a pencil drawing made circa 1903-1904 by Henri Fantin-Latour. It’s currently held at the Rijksmuseum. As a study sheet, it gives us some valuable insight into Fantin-Latour's process and his dedication to mastering form. Editor: You know, they seem very modern somehow, like dancers caught between poses. Are those deliberate smudges or are they traces of movement from the models? They look a bit like shadows, playing games... Curator: Both are likely true, although these were also common practices to model depth, shadow and texture with graphite pencils. It's part of a long lineage stretching back to academic drawing—think Ingres or David—using observation as the pathway to representing idealized forms and a universal vision of beauty. Editor: Universal maybe if you are a particular type of person, maybe... they strike me less as idealized than intimate... these drawings suggest that the painter got to really *see* his subjects. Curator: That interplay between the classical pursuit of ideal forms and a modern embrace of personal and expressive freedom defines much of late 19th century art. Note, though, how he used various forms on one page. Do you think that suggests, to any degree, a fragmentation of identity? Editor: Ah, it suggests multiplicity to me. The self seen from various angles, not one static thing! I feel an almost impressionistic vibe about the way light is handled so ethereally. You look at each figure but you also start to see connections in his composition. Curator: Right—an artist working in an Impressionist style but holding firmly to established academic training... It feels appropriate to conclude here, so everyone may formulate their own impressionistic conclusion... Editor: Well, my main impression is one of simple beauty, capturing raw human emotion within just a few strokes! It is rather captivating.