Portrait of Charles Baudelaire 1870 - 1899

Editor: So, this is Marcellin Desboutin's "Portrait of Charles Baudelaire," likely created sometime in the late 19th century. It's an etching on paper. It's striking how fragile and pensive Baudelaire looks. What whispers to you when you look at this piece? Curator: Whispers, eh? I hear the rustle of bohemian cafes, the scent of absinthe, and the melancholic verses of a poet wrestling with modernity. Desboutin, himself a fascinating character – artist, writer, and agriculturalist – captures Baudelaire's essence beautifully. The etching lines are delicate, almost like capturing a fleeting thought. Notice how the eyes are intensely focused, drawing you into his inner world, a world full of dreams, beauty, and despair. He seems to look right through you. Do you feel it? Editor: Absolutely, there is something haunting in his gaze. Why do you think Desboutin chose etching? Was it a common choice for portraits at the time? Curator: Etching lent itself beautifully to capturing subtle nuances. Think of the fineness of a pencil line, then amplified by the printmaking process. Also, both Desboutin and Baudelaire were deeply involved in the artistic and literary circles of their time. Etching allowed for a level of reproduction and distribution that aligned with their desire to share their art widely and be part of that vibrant Parisian cultural landscape. Plus, there's a certain intimacy about the medium; it’s not bombastic or overtly formal, it's personal. Editor: That makes sense. I was thinking it added to that feeling of capturing something fragile and fleeting. I can appreciate that personal touch of it. Curator: Precisely! It's a whisper, not a shout. And perhaps in that quiet intensity, we can understand something profound about both the artist and his subject. It definitely shifted my perspective about the artistic choices during that period. Editor: Yeah, I am leaving with the feeling of really stepping into the same space with Baudelaire; more so than other paintings I've seen.