L'Egalité 1789 - 1799

Editor: Here we have "L'Egalité", a print, probably an engraving, by Martin de Monchy, dating from the French Revolution. The figure seems very still and calm...What can you tell me about this, what do you see in this work? Curator: What I see is a goddess, coolly, serenely embodying Equality itself during a very tumultuous time. Imagine the nerve of it – crafting this balanced image amid chaos! That cube at her feet, a symbol of stability, juxtaposed with that plumb bob she holds, measuring true verticality... it's all so calculated. Almost like the artist is trying to impose order on the revolution, using the visual language of Neoclassicism. Don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. It's like a classical sculpture come to life. So, what would this image have meant to people at the time? Curator: Think of it as propaganda, but beautiful propaganda. Equality wasn’t just a word, it was a battle cry. Monchy is visually enshrining the ideal of equality within a divine, timeless framework. The goddess embodies reason, balance, almost…unattainability, perhaps? But, its intention must be that citizens felt inspired, directed, by it. It is pretty powerful stuff, I wonder if people were convinced. What do you make of it? Editor: I suppose it’s easy to forget how revolutionary even the concept of equality was back then, pun intended. To see it personified, and with such deliberate symbolism... it does have an impact. Curator: Right? A real attempt to visualize, and almost...install, a concept. And hey, art is, if nothing else, an act of persuasion! Editor: That's really given me something to think about. Thanks for illuminating this print for me. Curator: My pleasure. Art whispers when you listen closely.