Georges Clemenceau 1917

Paul-Albert Besnard made this sensitive drawing of Georges Clemenceau using fine, dark marks on a pale surface. I imagine Besnard, with his pen or etching needle, head tilted, peering at the subject, thinking, where do I begin? How do I capture this person's essence? The artist has built up the image slowly, with layers of marks creating shadow and definition. He’s gone in close on the face, cropping the figure tightly to focus our attention. You can see the weight of those lines—they define form and also seem to carry feeling. Look at how the marks flow to create the soft bulk of the hair. The contrast between light and dark create a furrowed brow, deep lines around the eyes, as if the weight of the world is etched onto his face. What was Besnard thinking about as he made this drawing? Was he capturing the essence of a man, or something more universal about what it means to be human? Painters are always in conversation with one another, and with the past. Each artwork is a contribution to an ongoing exchange of ideas across time. Just as drawing and painting offers a way of seeing, it also offers a way of feeling, thinking, and experiencing the world, and maybe even a way of touching it.