Book 4, Fable 3: the opinion (L'Opinion) 1719

Editor: Here we have "Book 4, Fable 3: the opinion (L'Opinion)," a 1719 engraving by Nicolas Henry Tardieu. There's something very classical, yet also intimate, about the scene depicted. I’m struck by the formal staging, as if a play. How do you interpret this work, especially the storytelling aspect? Curator: Storytelling, yes! It feels like a captured moment in time, a secret whispered between the players on stage. Think about what 'opinion' might have signified then—more than just a passing thought. Perhaps a reflection on judgment, reputation, even truth itself. Does the staging emphasize a court, a trial perhaps? The characters’ poses and gestures contribute. Is this a moral lesson, cunningly disguised as an artistic endeavor? Editor: A trial! I hadn't considered that. The man's accusatory gesture definitely reads differently now. Could it be related to the fable it illustrates? I wish I knew which one! Curator: Fables were often morality plays for the educated elite, darling. Couriel's work in tandem with Tardieu asks us, "Who are we in the court of opinion, accuser, judge or defendant?" Perhaps even all three at once. Editor: It’s interesting to think of art as a kind of philosophical questioning. The density of line-work also really contributes to a sense of baroque drama, right? Curator: Exactly! Those tight lines feel almost like moral constrictions closing in. The picture of society mirrored through fable and art. What is virtue versus what merely appears virtuous? The opinion held matters because perception reigns. Editor: So, while appearing as a pleasant scene of domesticity, it poses profound questions about society. Fascinating. Curator: That push and pull—that’s the heart of art. A constant, delicious tension.