Le Niveau Nationale (The National Level) 1784 - 1794

Curator: This watercolor and etching print, "Le Niveau Nationale," roughly translates to "The National Level," and it dates back to between 1784 and 1794. It's held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It feels immediately chaotic. I see this band of figures lined up—are they willingly participating? Some look rather distraught! And what is that precarious looking scale contraption in the background? Curator: The composition immediately brings to mind ideas of social leveling, literally rendered by that balancing apparatus in the rear. It's intriguing how they are physically linking arms at various places in the "process." Editor: Absolutely. The visual of linking arms makes me think about forced unity and conformity rather than true egalitarianism. Looking closer, I see some wearing red and blue which may represent their political allegiance? There is a forced performative action. Curator: That's a really important consideration! Red and blue have specific symbolic weight connected to loyalty, violence, and justice depending on when it's applied. They may actually stand in opposition of each other, which disrupts any assumption of an easy interpretation of the figures. There's definitely a power dynamic playing out here. Editor: That adds another layer. Instead of unity, we’re seeing the performative act, of those struggling under immense pressure and force of ideology. This era was, as we know, a moment of intense ideological pressure. Do you read this as ultimately celebrating egalitarianism, or critiquing it? Curator: Well, the history painting context gives it a decidedly political tone, and in caricatures, distortion is almost always meant to carry negative associations, though here, I also note visual homologies. Editor: Can you explain? Curator: I am drawn to the consistent headwear across a number of figures—the suggestion being a levelling of fashion and appearance. Are the finer details trying to warn viewers, suggesting "sameness" eliminates class? It's possible. What initially felt straightforward reveals itself as something so much more multifaceted when we situate its sociopolitical purpose in time. Editor: That's right, symbols work in complex, layered ways. Thanks for that context—I come away seeing a commentary on imposed equality, rather than equality itself. Curator: Indeed. There's more here than first meets the eye; this print presents more questions than answers.