La Femme Préhistorique 

Editor: This drawing, called "La Femme Préhistorique" – or Prehistoric Woman – is by James Tissot. I think it’s rendered in pastel, watercolor, or maybe even charcoal, but that could be my untrained eye speaking! The image feels almost dreamlike, with this figure emerging from a hazy background. What strikes you most about it? Curator: Well, "dreamlike" is spot-on. Tissot wasn't trying for archaeological accuracy here. He's playing with an idea, a fantasy of our origins. Notice how the textures created with pastel give everything this soft, almost ethereal quality. The "tiger" she is wearing, makes you question the actual relationship between man and animal here, she doesn’t seem scared but strong, like she tamed it. The pale pallet also gives a feel of nostalgia. It's Romanticism and Symbolism tangled up together, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Definitely, I see that now. So it’s less about history and more about… feeling? Curator: Precisely. It's about tapping into that primal connection we imagine existed, before civilization tamed us. Do you think the pale colours give to her some fragility despite of her power? Editor: I think so. It’s a fragile strength. Almost like she is defiant but is wearing a façade that does not fit the historical timeline. She can both be scary and delicate at the same time. Curator: Precisely my feeling about it. He has placed a gentle Victorian Era portrait, inside the body of a strong prehistoric women, it almost has a science fiction-esque taste, the beauty of Tissot I guess. Editor: So, not just a pretty picture, but a commentary on… what we’ve lost, maybe? Curator: Or perhaps, what still lingers beneath the surface. Food for thought, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Absolutely. I'll never look at pastels the same way again!