Plate One c. 17th century

Curator: This is Pierre Le Sueur's "Plate One," a small print housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's a striking starkness to it. The tight hatching creates this interesting shadowy effect, almost like a stage set. Curator: It really emphasizes the materiality, doesn't it? The labor involved in each individual line cut into the plate. Consider the social context, too—prints like these made art more accessible, circulating images and ideas. Editor: Absolutely, and it's the formal elements that give it power. The diagonal lines create a sense of movement, drawing your eye across the composition. Curator: And the figure's attire, his tools—they speak to a particular class, a specific kind of worker or traveler. Editor: Indeed. It leaves me pondering how such simple lines can evoke so much depth and narrative. Curator: It is a wonderful image to consider.