Nimf met twee putti 1903 - 1906

Fantin-Latour drew this 'Nimf met twee putti' with graphite on paper, and what strikes me is its ethereal quality, a world emerging from the page. It's all about process, the making visible of something imagined. The texture of the paper is part of the image, the weave of the page adding to the dreamy quality. You can see how the artist allows the white of the paper to define the form as much as the graphite lines, a conversation between dark and light. Look at the way the lines around the figures seem to dissolve, they aren’t hard edges, but more like suggestions. It's not about perfection but capturing a fleeting moment, a sense of atmosphere. This reminds me a little of Odilon Redon, another artist who knew how to make a whisper feel like a shout. Art is like that, an echo chamber of ideas, bouncing back and forth.