E.D. Adams, 3rd plate 

Curator: Here we have Alphonse Legros’s "E.D. Adams, 3rd plate", an etching with graphite on paper. Editor: It's so delicately rendered, almost dreamlike. There's an incredible softness to the subject, created by what looks like thousands of tiny lines. I can almost feel the paper's texture beneath my fingers. Curator: Precisely! Legros’s mastery lies in his ability to evoke such subtle tonal variations with such minimal means. Note the cross-hatching that defines the form. The hatching lends a dynamic rhythm to the composition, while it also hints at academic draftsmanship. Editor: Etching is such a laborious process, involving acids eating away at a metal plate. It is a very demanding printing medium that does not welcome many corrections to the plate surface. Yet, the results in skilled hands often appear effortless as demonstrated here, like a casual graphite sketch, betraying little of its labor-intensive origin. Curator: Indeed. It is worthwhile also to consider the spatial composition itself. Legros uses line weight very skillfully. By giving different values to some lines than to others, Legros is able to trick the eye, while providing very little spatial context to his portraits. Note in particular how he positions the subject to address the viewer with equal portions shadow and light. This composition, so devoid of the typical tricks, grants the portrait tremendous directness. Editor: Given the era and the medium's constraints, his realism feels incredibly modern. You could say he liberated etching from its more formal associations by exploring everyday faces with immediacy. Was he responding to larger debates about art production, challenging traditional painting through prints? Curator: Undeniably! Legros was invested in the re-evaluation of the means of artistic creation itself, which is central to the avant-garde ethos of his day. He brought intaglio’s precision to capturing reality’s ephemerality and psychological nuance. This particular print represents his ethos faithfully, don’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely. It shows us that humble materials, used thoughtfully, can be as compelling as any grand history painting. A wonderful, democratic idea! Curator: Thank you for sharing that illuminating perspective! The nuances in texture and his expressive cross-hatching reward continued contemplation.