Polichinelle 1874

Editor: This is Édouard Manet’s "Polichinelle" from the Harvard Art Museums. The harlequin figure has this bizarre, almost unsettling energy, and the colors feel both playful and somber. What's your interpretation of this work in its historical context? Curator: The print appropriates and subverts the traditional Commedia dell'arte figure, Polichinelle, who was already a popular subject in caricature. Manet presents him here in lithograph, a medium associated with mass media and political commentary. Do you see any political undertones in the figure's exaggerated costume and demeanor? Editor: I hadn’t considered that, but the absurdity could definitely be a commentary on societal roles or even political figures. Curator: Exactly. Manet uses a popular figure and medium to engage in the cultural and political discourse of his time. It makes you wonder about the image's reception then and how it might resonate today. Editor: That’s fascinating! I will definitely look at Manet in a new light now.