A Soldier Standing, in Profile 1849

Curator: Here we have Charles Meryon's "A Soldier Standing, in Profile" from 1849, residing here at The Art Institute of Chicago. It’s an etching, so ink on paper from a metal plate. Editor: Immediately striking! There’s something almost weary about the soldier. Look at how he rests on that pole. The tight hatching suggests heavy metal armor. I'm curious about its materiality. Curator: Right, Meryon made a number of prints that invoked earlier eras, medieval in particular. We have to remember the social context: 1849 was a year of revolution. Editor: A revolution echoing through art. Is this figure burdened by a longing for an idealized past? His gear looks quite substantial. Were these kinds of materials and craftsmanship readily accessible or exclusive to a privileged class? Curator: Certainly. This work likely speaks to the prevailing societal yearning for stability and order. Notice his gaze, though, focused but inward, like he is deep in contemplation. I wonder what public this soldier played for. Editor: Contemplation yes, but is this supposed stability more of a material prison? That metal armor must have been brutally uncomfortable! I also wonder how his work reflects or challenges those power dynamics inherent in its materials. Was Meryon intentionally making commentary? Curator: That is certainly part of the point. We also need to see how that yearning for a specific past becomes politicized through these images. Remember France’s own medieval past held much sway. Editor: I think I'm with you. What seems like an evocation of bygone strength actually feels, through the intense labor embedded in this detailed technique, to suggest constraint. The labor involved in both war and art making. Curator: Precisely! The artwork then becomes a stage for the discourse around national identity and class roles. Editor: An intriguing perspective shift indeed. A melancholic reflection born from material realities. Curator: It provides ample fodder to contemplate those anxieties!