Persee, Andromede 1895 - 1907

Curator: Right, let’s turn our attention to this remarkable drawing by Luc-Olivier Merson titled "Persee, Andromede," created sometime between 1895 and 1907. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by its almost ethereal quality. It feels less like a concrete depiction and more like a dreamscape rendered in charcoal and pencil. There's a soft vulnerability to the figures that captivates. Curator: Precisely. Merson masterfully evokes the symbolism inherent in the myth. Note Perseus astride Pegasus. They represent triumph, heroism, and the intervention of divine will. And look, in the lower quadrant are two additional, yet-unnamed figures placed inside a decorative frame and seemingly being dragged on a diagonal direction by an unknown force. They are placed into an ethereal space of numerous radiant diamond figures. Editor: And Andromeda—she seems to almost melt into Perseus’s embrace, less a damsel rescued and more a co-conspirator in escape. I like that interpretation of their moment, and wonder whether Merson felt some sort of identification with their shared condition of exile and persecution. This is powerful given the timeframe in which it was created. Curator: Her pose evokes earlier images of Mary Magdalene or the mourning Marys at the Crucifixion. She is almost dead. The way she cradles against him seems to draw upon Christian artistic history even in a mythic scene. The combination allows the artist to convey a potent sense of grace amidst dramatic rescue, even though both narratives, in their full form, seem fairly misogynistic today. Editor: You know, it’s fascinating how these classical themes became vessels for the anxieties of the modern era. In terms of material handling, what impresses me most is Merson's control over shading, creating volume and texture. You almost expect Pegasus to breathe and those wings to take flight! Curator: The tonal gradations give the drawing such depth and atmospheric perspective, certainly. In classical terms, that dynamic grouping and that implied upward movement is key to the story of redemption and rescue. One would need to examine the other existing iterations of the theme in order to know, for sure, what particular symbolism he chose to deploy at this stage in his creative process, but there is certainly a relationship. Editor: Thinking of this as a history painting reconfigured as psychological dream really shifts my perspective. Curator: Mine, too. It reveals much about how even mythic narratives can be uniquely interpreted in the crucible of an artist's inner vision.