Yves Saint Laurent Pierre Bergé - Christie's

Although conventionally placed in profile, following a tradition established in
antique portrait medals and perpetrated in France through Charles-Nicolas
Cochin’s drawn and engraved profile portraits, this drawing is anything but
conventional. With his steady posture and fiercely crossed arms, the unknown
sitter conveys defiance against the power that has placed him in jail. The
multi-collared frock coat, the flamboyantly knotted cravat, and the carefully
depicted wig, are almost a fashion statement, as if David wanted the sitter to
be immediately recognised as one of the well-dressed men who occupied the
highest ranks of the National Convention, and not as a poor sans-culotte. The
undeniable elegance of this little, precious portrait is enhanced by the neat
lines strongly drawn in black ink that define the rigid features of the sitter, his
pristine white necktie, and the curls of his wig.
At first glance, the viewer almost misses the softly posed fingers, lurking in
the folds of the coat; one is initially attracted by the very poignant face, and it
is only by allowing the eye to peruse the drawing for a few minutes, moving
from the face, down to the knot of the tie, the buttons and the complex folds
of the coat, that one suddenly notices the carefully looked-after fingers, as if
the artist has voluntarily placed here this small detail for the enjoyment of
the careful observer, and not the indifferent passer-by whom Edmond de
Goncourt would surely have criticised.
Interior of the Goncourt’s House in Auteuil
– Ketty Gottardo
Director, Old Master Drawings, Paris
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