Sketchbook page c. 1776

Editor: Here we have Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin's "Sketchbook Page," a delicate pencil drawing. The figure seems so nonchalant. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Consider the performance of masculinity in Saint-Aubin’s time. His posture, seemingly relaxed, is carefully constructed. Who had the privilege to lounge so publicly? Where are those who did not? Editor: So, it's a subtle commentary on class? Curator: It's a starting point. Think about the lack of detail, the sketch-like quality. What stories are absent from this image? Whose perspectives are we missing? Editor: It makes me question what I'm *not* seeing. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, art invites us to critically examine the societal structures it reflects and, perhaps, obscures.