Stéphane Mallarmé 1897

Editor: This is Edvard Munch’s 1897 pencil drawing of Stèphane Mallarmè. The heavy use of graphite gives it such a dark, almost brooding presence. What resonates with you most about it? Curator: The portrait itself feels almost like an icon, wouldn't you agree? Munch captures Mallarmé as a figure laden with meaning. Notice how the dense hatching around the face creates this sort of halo effect. What emotions does that evoke for you? Editor: It feels reverential, almost…as if Mallarmé is a saint of poetry. Is that what you mean by the "icon" feeling? Curator: Precisely! Consider the Symbolist movement, and Mallarmé's pivotal role within it. The Symbolists sought to evoke subjective emotions through imagery and allusion, so what better way to portray that than with a figure made symbolic through suggestive rather than literal lines? Munch isn’t just drawing a man, but drawing the essence of symbolism itself. Editor: So the visual language itself is symbolic… interesting. Is that why Munch chose to use such stark contrast and heavy lines? Curator: Partly, yes. But I wonder, too, about the cultural weight of portraiture at the time. Photography was emerging, but the hand-drawn portrait still held a unique power—a perceived connection with the subject. Did that relationship elevate the sitter? What does this drawing then tell us about both Mallarme, and the public's need for representations of this cultural figure? Editor: I hadn't thought about the impact of photography...it makes this drawing feel like a much more intimate, interpretive act. Curator: It truly is. Hopefully more visitors now appreciate the rich exchange captured between artist and subject, and between a cultural figure and his world, in these dark suggestive lines. Editor: This really makes you think about portraiture in an entirely new way. Thanks for sharing your perspective.