Lisieux 18th-19th century

Curator: Henry Edridge’s “Lisieux” presents a street scene rendered in delicate pen and brown ink with gray wash. It's held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like peering into a sepia-toned dream, a quiet street basking in muted sunlight with that cathedral spire drawing the eye heavenward. Curator: The lines of those buildings, so carefully rendered, give the piece a strong sense of depth. I wonder about the linens hanging to dry—evidence of labor, the daily lives woven into the architecture. Editor: Yes, those hanging linens catch the light—it's all about the weight of those moments suspended in time. One can almost hear the echoes of the cathedral bells mixing with street vendors haggling. Curator: Exactly, and it makes me consider the labor of the artist, too. The cost of the ink, the paper, and the hours of meticulous mark-making. Editor: It's a reminder that even the most ethereal visions have a grounding in materiality. Curator: A lovely reminder of those lives and labors. Editor: Indeed.