The Judgment of Paris [recto] c. 1812

Editor: Here we have Guillaume Lethiére’s "The Judgment of Paris," a watercolor from around 1812. It's got a certain understated quality with a very serene, almost wistful mood, I think. What do you make of this piece? Curator: It’s dreamy, isn’t it? Lethiére clearly had one foot planted firmly in Neoclassical ideals, all that balanced composition and idealized form, but I sense something more going on here, a whisper of Romanticism perhaps? A desire for escapism into nature's beauty, but within very tight structures. Editor: Escapism? That's interesting. I hadn't thought of it that way. Curator: Think about it: we have these idealized figures from mythology enacting this pivotal moment. A mortal is forced to decide the most beautiful amongst goddesses—an impossible task, laden with consequence! But Lethiére places this dramatic scene within this delicate, watercolor landscape. The weight of their decision almost seems to dissipate into the gentle washes and soft light, don't you think? What draws your eyes first when you look at it? Editor: Actually, it's the background. It reminds me of theater stage scenery somehow... Curator: Indeed! I see the set design there. It's so much softer, dare I say more forgiving than a sharp, crisply-defined academic painting might have rendered this scene. It asks us to pause and linger, in a way, even amongst the looming judgment. Did the experience alter your initial impressions at all? Editor: Definitely! I’m picking up on so much more of that Romantic undertone now! Thanks for making me see that!