Watch Your Rear ! ! ! ! 1822

Editor: So, here we have Eugène Delacroix's print from 1822, "Watch Your Rear ! ! ! !" created using engraving. It's hard not to chuckle – this character's aggressive stance and wildly exaggerated features create a pretty comical, if unsettling, image. What’s your take on it? Curator: Ah, Delacroix! Even in caricature, there's such vibrant energy! The title itself, "Watch Your Rear ! ! ! !" is just wonderful! Notice the Romantic verve in the exaggerated form, that tempestuous line…it feels almost like a rebellion in itself. Don't you think that fierceness clashes delightfully with the rather crude, almost slapstick nature of the image? Editor: Absolutely, it's a bizarre combo. Like he’s trying to be both highbrow and lowbrow at the same time. The sword, the mountain, all these ‘epic’ elements, but rendered with such exaggerated features, like a cartoon. Curator: Exactly! The "grand" Romantic gesture deflated with a knowing wink. What about those shadowy figures lurking behind the mountain – what do you reckon they are thinking? Almost like a vaudeville theatre of revolution! The print’s tiny details give the figure a monstrous and theatrical impact at the same time. What does this reveal about Delacroix’s cultural stance, perhaps? Editor: It's like he’s making fun of authority. Or maybe warning people about its ever-present dangers. The figures watching could represent people plotting from the shadows. That makes a lot of sense in the context of Romanticism, which so valued revolution and resistance. Curator: I wonder if it could speak to how we might perceive or enact resistance today? The monster of a figure might also be perceived as ‘other’, wouldn't you say? Maybe his stance holds further socio-political symbolism? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't considered it in that way, thanks for the tip. Looking at Delacroix in that new perspective really made the piece so much more layered! Curator: Yes. And for me, revisiting Delacroix reminds one not to be shy to puncture grandiose claims with a good dose of satirical reality.