Two Studies of Elie-Catherine Freron; verso: Figure Studies c. 1776

Curator: This delicate pencil sketch, "Two Studies of Elie-Catherine Freron," is by Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: He looks like he’s guarding secrets or maybe carrying the weight of the world. Melancholy, almost. Curator: Elie-Catherine Freron was a literary critic, known for sharp opinions, so that weight might be intellectual. The lyre he holds could symbolize his commitment to the arts. Editor: The way the lines are so light, it’s like a fleeting moment, a half-remembered dream about a forgotten intellectual. Curator: The sketch captures a tension, a figure in the midst of thought, bearing the weight of cultural discourse, forever preserved. Editor: A ghost of the Enlightenment, still pondering. Gives you pause, doesn't it?