A STORY WITHOUT (POLITE) WORDS 

Curator: I find this drawing by John Leech, "A STORY WITHOUT (POLITE) WORDS," simply captivating. It’s executed with such stark lines and dense hatching. It looks like it could be a print made from ink or pencil. What jumps out at you first, Editor? Editor: A sort of awkward tenderness. The scratchy line work makes me think of dog-eared storybooks, and I’m instantly fond of the group and these slightly scruffy, loafing canines. There is definitely a narrative happening. It makes me wonder what is occurring in the scene, but the story has many versions depending on your perception. Curator: Yes, absolutely, and notice the clothing—the varied textures achievable simply through line. Leech uses such varied linework to delineate the characters. One might assume that he’s representing some kind of commentary on class relations and labor in an industrialized society. Editor: Perhaps the landscape around them offers some clue too? While fairly abstract, those marks do indicate space. And look how their forms break the boundaries between foreground and background. The men almost blend with the building, whilst the dogs have more definition, a trick of course, our eyes immediately jump to their furry outlines! This creates depth, it pulls the viewer in! The artist lets us construct meaning by offering us clues. Curator: Considering this was likely produced for mass consumption through printmaking, its creation and distribution served a critical function. By reproducing a seemingly simple street scene, Leech makes it accessible to anyone, regardless of where it was being shown. The materials of production themselves democratizing artistic consumption in Britain and beyond. Editor: Indeed, art for everyone, the very thought gives me shivers! Now that you mention this wider distribution, that little vignette really does conjure a broader perspective. It gives me the strange urge to write my own stories, to people these back streets with my characters... Curator: In this world of images, there really is a space for the imagination! We might move on, but for a split moment the stories were united... Editor: Absolutely, and that’s worth more than words can say!