Bassoon 1725 - 1775

Editor: Here we have a baroque bassoon, dating roughly from 1725 to 1775, currently residing here at the Met. What I immediately notice is the instrument's verticality, reinforced by those bands of brass against the dark wood. What structural qualities do you find most compelling? Curator: The strategic placement of brass is quite deliberate. Observe how the eye is drawn upwards along the body of the bassoon, a visual pathway carefully crafted through proportional relationships and a tactile engagement with the materials. How do you read those negative spaces created by the keys and the crook? Editor: That's interesting... It seems like the instrument is divided into separate modules, and those empty areas permit a visual 'breath', preventing it from becoming too blocky. Those brass fittings give it articulation. Is it a common technique to highlight segments in a woodwind instrument like this? Curator: Quite. It is not merely decoration. Note how the brass simultaneously divides and unifies, creating both separation and a cohesive whole. It accentuates the instrument's inherent form. Consider the line, shape, and texture created when you consider the whole bassoon’s composition, and the intent becomes clearer, does it not? Editor: It does! Looking at it now, it's all about that deliberate tension between the dark, matte wood, and those gleaming metallic details... I guess it allows us to ‘see’ its materiality in action, creating its aesthetic effect. Curator: Precisely! A keen observation. Formal qualities dictate its meaning and impact on us, offering an experience we appreciate. Editor: So, by focusing on the interplay of its inherent visual elements like wood, brass, line, and proportion, we gain a richer appreciation for the musical instrument itself! Thanks. Curator: Indeed, by analyzing its component forms and relationships, a deeper understanding of art and its language emerges. A worthwhile observation indeed.