The Manger (La creche) 

Alphonse Legros created this etching titled 'The Manger' using delicate lines to depict a scene of quiet reverence. The composition is structured around the interplay of light and shadow, with the figures of the two women and the infant Christ emerging from the subtle cross-hatching. The artist uses line work to define the simple shapes of the figures and the manger. The dense strokes and the varying line thickness create a textural richness that invites a close reading of the print’s surface. The structure of the lines directs our eyes to the focal point: the infant Christ. Legros challenges the traditional, ornate depictions of religious scenes by focusing on the geometric shapes of the women and the manger. This simplification can be interpreted as a semiotic marker, drawing away from literal representation to a space where form itself conveys the sacred. This formal reduction serves to universalize the scene, inviting contemplation beyond a specific religious context.