Quae Genus With A Portrait Painter 1 - 1822

Editor: We’re looking at “Quae Genus With A Portrait Painter,” an aquatint print by Thomas Rowlandson from around 1822. The print depicts a crowded room filled with portraits, and I’m struck by the caricature style – everyone seems a bit exaggerated. It’s quite chaotic! What visual elements stand out to you the most? Curator: The artist clearly uses the frame of the artworks within the work to achieve the feeling of confinement and crowd. In Rowlandson's work, line serves primarily as contour and there is value through washes. The aquatint evokes subtle tonal variations, modulating forms and spaces. The relatively high-key palette allows the detail in each figure and painting to be legible. Editor: So, you’re seeing the artistic technique, the emphasis on line and value, as key to conveying the piece's feeling. I initially just focused on the faces. Curator: Indeed, notice the placement of the figures. Rowlandson skillfully uses implied lines and relationships within the clustered grouping to focus on the canvas brought to us. Editor: Interesting! Now that you mention the central canvas and grouping, the other compositional components fade back. Thank you for showing me the dynamics!