Muziek 1772 - 1779

Curator: I am struck by the lightness of it, this sketch is both decorative and rather sparse. Editor: Indeed. What we see here is "Muziek," an engraving executed sometime between 1772 and 1779 by Jean François Janinet. It's held at the Rijksmuseum. Curator: A feast of instruments. A lute, trumpet and a scroll of music intertwined with foliage – musical knowledge intertwined with organic, growing life! Notice how the artist balances the instruments’ static forms with the dynamism of curling ribbons and blooming flora. There is an undeniable tension in bringing together these images of musical cultivation and flourishing. Editor: And consider, too, what "music" itself represented during this era. As a reflection of societal order and harmony, or perhaps its chaotic disruption during the pre-revolutionary period. The Rococo period itself faced charges of excess, decadence, and artificiality on the cusp of radical political change. It cannot escape broader social contexts or ideological associations. Curator: A reminder that music, then as now, wasn’t mere pleasantry but a language for navigating social norms. Musical knowledge becomes cultural capital, imbued with its own set of power dynamics. Editor: The symbols employed reveal so much – beyond pure aesthetic value, art and the artistic skill set served various socio-economic strata. These images perpetuated standards and values which frequently centered around white, patriarchal control, excluding any deviation of cultural expression that did not adhere. Curator: Precisely, the very act of composing and possessing musical knowledge held societal value; that value was and still is, imbued with power, race, and gender politics. Editor: This engraving asks us to consider music’s historical and ongoing role. How we create, define, disseminate and interpret what matters through musical notes. Curator: How interesting to look through an artwork that itself considers art and taste and consider how power continues to weave and play within the sphere.