Les Moutons de Boisdeffre 

Curator: This pencil drawing is titled “Les Moutons de Boisdeffre,” by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen. Editor: My initial impression is of frantic energy. The upward thrust of the crowd’s gaze, the massed figures...it feels almost desperate. Curator: Desperate, perhaps. The work hints at the social context of its making, suggesting a commentary on crowd psychology. Consider how Steinlen, often associated with leftist politics, presents these "sheep," as the title implies. Are they unified in hope, or blindly following? Editor: The formal elements definitely reinforce that reading. Note the use of chiaroscuro – the strong contrasts create a sense of drama, and pull the viewer's eye up toward whatever they are all looking at. There's also the implied line of their gazes creating a strong directional force. What exactly is he making them observe? Curator: Exactly, and the process of creation matters too! The swift, almost agitated pencil strokes would have been quick and affordable to mass produce and disseminate broadly via inexpensive periodicals. In that light, the upward gazes, whatever the figures might actually see, function more broadly to manufacture consent within a community. Editor: The repeated forms also stand out. The similar shapes of their upturned faces, echoed in the architecture, create a feeling of visual rhythm, but also dehumanization. A structural approach would observe the ways individual identity is sacrificed to the mass. Curator: Right. The image itself might serve as propaganda on crowd psychology. These readily available images promoted mass cultural engagement, even through collective frenzies. Editor: Examining how Steinlen used line, massing, and directional focus unlocks complex meaning about individuality versus collectivity. Curator: Indeed. Considering the materiality and means of production illuminates art's broader engagement with the world. Editor: So, through formal and material investigation, we understand both Steinlen's artistic approach and the sociopolitical issues of the era.