"My cure" from The Complete Works of Béranger 1836

Curator: Immediately I’m struck by the intimacy, even with the caricature. Is it the ink that lends such an approachable effect? Editor: Well, what we are viewing is J.J. Grandville’s “My cure,” a drawing and print made in 1836, part of *The Complete Works of Béranger*. The print relies heavily on linear ink work. This piece, with its genre painting theme, is imbued with the visual rhetoric of early 19th century France. Curator: Indeed! Notice the careful etching and the material’s texture here; the varying thickness gives dimension, but doesn’t distract. Editor: It speaks volumes about social dynamics, doesn’t it? The print seems to offer a critique, showing what appears to be a priest dominating a space while a group of working-class citizens looks on with varying degrees of discomfort or disinterest. Curator: Precisely! Grandville’s choice of inexpensive, readily available materials underscores the democratization of image-making at the time. He skillfully marries form and function. The ink’s work is quite deft and affordable, enabling distribution and discussion to wider audiences. Editor: And look at how Grandville stages the figures. It hints at hierarchies, not just in their relative positioning within the space but perhaps in the type of labor they each perform. The tools, be they chalices or bottles, mark social class. Curator: Don't you agree that the cross-hatching almost makes the whole scene move? One can almost feel the dim environment and the movement of conversation as though the print anticipates modern forms of storytelling. Editor: It begs questions of institutional power then and now, making us consider the continued negotiation of faith and community. It is also really humorous because it has people engaged in what appears to be comical, almost drunken behavior with this severe religious authority figure looking down on them, or at least appearing to hold power over them. It's all really fascinating! Curator: Quite so! Thinking through Grandville's work reminds me of how the value and purpose of art are constantly made and remade. Editor: For me, this artwork functions as a potent symbol of both control and the subtle undercurrents of defiance. A complex moment indeed.