Antigone & Ismene 1833 - 1875

Editor: So, this is "Antigone & Ismene," a pencil drawing by Alfred Stevens, probably made sometime between 1833 and 1875. I find the sketchiness quite striking; you can really see the process. What stands out to you? Curator: What immediately captures my attention is the economic efficiency of the line. Look how Stevens uses so little material - just pencil and paper – to evoke so much feeling, and, crucially, to depict bodies that speak to particular class positions. These women aren't presented in luxurious materials or settings. We are focused on the bodies themselves, made of pencil. How does the starkness of the material affect your understanding? Editor: It does make it feel more raw, less idealized, almost…real. Curator: Exactly! Stevens makes clear his choices, revealing the means of production. How does that affect your understanding of the themes, knowing he made these choices? The way academic art was often about hiding those choices. Editor: I guess it feels like less of a lofty ideal and more about the labour of drawing, of representing the body. But it’s interesting how this almost humble process is used to portray figures from Greek tragedy. Curator: Precisely. It forces us to consider the value we place on those narratives versus the means of creating them. Stevens is making the material tell the story. He uses the "cheap" materials and efficient marks of a sketch and drawing. What’s the value of a quick drawing versus an oil painting of the time? What does that say about who these figures were meant for? Editor: That's given me a whole new way of thinking about it, linking the material directly to the message and the intended audience. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Thinking about the economic and social context always enriches the artistic experience for me.