Classe 17 - 8 Janvier soir 1916

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this lithograph, Classe 17, sometime around the turn of the century. Look at how he creates a feeling of movement with these hatching lines all leaning in the same direction. It's like seeing how a drawing emerges, how an image coalesces through the process of its making. It’s interesting how the blue ink almost feels like an architectural blueprint. You can sense how the image was built up through layers of short, sharp strokes. Notice how Steinlen uses dense clusters of lines to create shadows and volume on the figures. Then, how he leaves areas of white paper peeking through to give the impression of light and air. The overall feeling is one of urgency and restlessness, as if the figures are caught in a fleeting moment, marching towards an uncertain future. Steinlen reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz, who also used printmaking to document the lives of working-class people with empathy and insight. Ultimately, art can embrace ambiguity and invite multiple perspectives, rather than offering fixed or definitive answers.