Girart de Roussillon converted by his wife Ameline 

Editor: This compelling drawing by Luc-Olivier Merson, entitled "Girart de Roussillon converted by his wife Ameline," is rendered in charcoal, giving it a really strong, graphic feel. The architectural setting is austere, but the figures, especially Girart himself, project immense inner conflict. What strikes you about this work? Curator: Well, considering the medium, charcoal is so interesting here, isn't it? We have this gritty substance, the byproduct of burnt organic material, used to depict figures of power and religious conviction in a medieval narrative. This tension speaks volumes about how Merson is interrogating the very foundations upon which these narratives are built. Do you see how the architecture, almost looming over the figures, is equally built from basic materials? Editor: That’s a fascinating point about the charcoal itself reflecting the 'raw' foundation. So, you're suggesting the medium challenges the kind of romanticised historical depictions we often see? Curator: Precisely! The act of using such a common substance is key. Merson forces us to acknowledge that these figures, Ameline, Girart, their world - were produced through a laboring process just as his drawing was. Note the textures he coaxes from the charcoal—from the shimmering fabric to the coarse stone, mimicking and therefore underscoring processes of manufacture. Where does this all place value? In spiritual conversion? In the feudal system? Or the materials they rely upon? Editor: I hadn’t considered it in that way. It almost seems… subversive, using something so ordinary to depict such lofty themes. Curator: It is, in a way. Merson asks us to examine the means by which power, history, and belief are constructed and represented, highlighting their reliance on earthly substances and labor. Editor: I'm going to see charcoal drawings very differently now. Thanks, that's really shifted my perspective. Curator: It's important to see the material process of an artwork because they deeply affect its meaning. Seeing is about understanding that relationship between art, artist, and their surrounding.