Schouw met guirlandes 1772 - 1779

Editor: This drawing, “Schouw met guirlandes,” or Mantelpiece with Garlands, by Jean Pelletier, dates to the late 1770s and it is made of engraving on paper. It feels so austere and…planned. What statements might it be making? Curator: Considering its Neoclassical style, let's think about what was happening socially. This was a time of revolution, of course, not only in France, but also intellectually. Editor: Ah, so the clean lines are maybe a reaction *against* the excessive ornamentation that came before? Curator: Precisely! The Neoclassical style deliberately evoked ancient Greece and Rome. This design, with its geometric precision, its emphasis on order, what social values do you think it’s promoting? Editor: Well, I guess the revolutionaries were hoping to replace the monarchy with a government that valued reason over, say, divine right. I suppose it’s propaganda, of a sort. Curator: A very insightful thought! Remember, architecture and design were never neutral. The rising middle class adopted these styles to express their ambitions and taste and used them to define civic virtue through geometry and rationalism. How do you view the fireplace now, understanding that? Editor: Wow! So much for just keeping warm. I guess every little detail in our spaces can be so loaded with meaning. Curator: Exactly! This drawing serves as a reminder of how design choices reflect, reinforce, and sometimes even challenge existing social and political structures. Editor: I will definitely not look at a fireplace in the same way again. Curator: Nor will I. Every cultural creation is a lens to the culture from whence it came, and the layers of meaning beneath even something as seemingly functional as architecture are often profound.