Triumph of Bacchus with Drunken Silenus on Donkey n.d.

Editor: So this drawing, “The Triumph of Bacchus with Drunken Silenus on Donkey,” by Cesare Pollini...It's difficult to date precisely. The drawing on paper, employing pen, ink, chalk, and charcoal, depicts a bacchanal. It has this frenzied energy, like a parade spiraling out of control. I find myself lost in trying to pinpoint where to look, or where to start. What draws your eye when you first look at this? Curator: Oh, absolute chaos! A drunken stupor caught in elegant lines. It’s like a dream, isn’t it? Pollini has managed to capture that tipping point between revelry and... collapse. I love how the landscape kind of mirrors the state of Silenus. Editor: Collapse, exactly! The city is dissolving in the background and... oh my, is that a wine stain in the upper left? Is it part of the work? Curator: (Laughing) An unplanned collaboration, perhaps! Fate adding its own commentary. The stain feels almost… appropriate, doesn't it? Think of it this way - every masterpiece has its story, often whispered in accidents and happenstances. But back to Silenus. Does the fragility and frenetic feeling that strikes me, translate for you, do you think? Editor: I agree it does feel frantic, I can appreciate the comparison now, that you’ve made that point, between the drunken state of Silenus and how he’s physically displayed. It definitely adds an unexpected dimension. Curator: Art thrives in the conversations it starts, even the messy ones. It also makes me ponder those seemingly imperfect moments we brush aside; the wayward brushstrokes or wine stains become part of a more profound story. Perhaps in art, as in life, there is no such thing as a mistake.