Politician 

Curator: We're looking at Jean-Louis Forain's drawing, aptly titled "Politician". Editor: Well, “aptly” indeed! The immediate impression is one of heft – both physical and perhaps metaphorical. The weight of responsibility, the bulk of power, rendered in deceptively simple lines. It’s primarily the cross-hatching at the base that strikes me most. A frenetic yet simple markmaking system using what seems to be solely one material: sanguine. Curator: I think your perception about the metaphorical weight is key here. Sanguine, traditionally associated with choleric temperaments, infuses the drawing with a palpable energy and possibly corruption. Editor: I hadn't considered the association of sanguine with temperaments, interesting. But it does draw attention to the artistic process, the choices made in material and line to convey the politician's persona. One must wonder why sanguine specifically was employed. Curator: Precisely! Consider the history of sanguine in portraiture. It’s a very fleshy medium, suggestive of the corporeal, linking the politician to earthly desires. In the 19th century, caricatures and depictions of politicians often employed such exaggerated features. Editor: The exaggeration certainly exists here, if one only looks at the figure's outline. There are clear academic underpinnings to the structure; still, one would never expect to come across a drawing so… raw in this way. The cross-hatching doesn’t attempt to define, it complicates. And it leaves areas unfinished and exposed, giving the subject a vulnerability that disrupts any preconceived notions. Curator: I agree. He has a somewhat exposed aspect, yes. A far cry from the stiff and polished portrayals meant to glorify leaders of the state. Perhaps that disruption is the point; the symbol itself laid bare by artistic execution. Editor: An incisive observation. I would only add the drawing material brings forward a tension inherent within power: constructed appearances cannot, at their core, hide reality or intention. It’s a constant game of façade versus raw expression. Curator: Exactly. Art enables us to hold up mirrors to the power dynamics of society, even today. Editor: And sometimes it does so with only the simplest of materials, pushing past the idea of artistic virtuosity and arriving at the pure heart of the issue at hand.