The First Pose 1906

Curator: Ah, "The First Pose," by Anders Zorn. Created in 1906, it's an etching that's currently housed right here at the Met. Editor: The first thing I see is shadow—almost a visual hum that blankets the space around this woman. She’s…hesitant? Self-conscious, maybe. Curator: It's that masterful etching technique Zorn uses. Notice how the density of lines shifts—the crosshatching defining her form is almost sculptural. And consider the material itself; the copperplate, the acid… all that alchemy to produce this delicate image. Editor: There's a tenderness in the way she seems to cradle her own body, a quiet dialogue with herself that transcends time. Like, did Zorn catch her in a truly unguarded moment? Or did she actually, like, practice for this pose beforehand? Curator: Etching can be very deliberate, but there’s something undeniably spontaneous about Zorn’s mark-making, wouldn't you say? But let’s think about the implications, here. He would have had to have used needles to gouge the copperplate, applying a light coat of wax, right? A slow, repetitive, methodical labor to create the desired effect. Editor: Maybe that repetitive, almost meditative process, seeped into the image, imparting it with that stillness we observe? Curator: Possibly, though it's worth noting, nudes like this were quite the rage amongst his peers! The process involved its own social labor; assistants, models, workshops. All elements in this cultural tapestry of art. Editor: To create this work, so many people have their fingerprints on this image–a kind of ghost workforce. I still think she looks a bit bashful, maybe it’s me projecting. I guess that’s the beauty of art, we each find ourselves within the lines and tones. Curator: Precisely. Each viewing layers our own narratives, anxieties, joys onto it. And those dense cross-hatchings will hold those narratives, beautifully so, for years to come.