Drie verticale panelen met bladornament en figuren before 1667

Curator: Jean Lepautre gives us "Three Vertical Panels with Leaf Ornament and Figures," a drawing in ink, crafted before 1667. Looking at it now at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Wow, it's almost overwhelmingly ornate. A burst of energy frozen in these delicate lines, a kind of controlled frenzy, what do you see in it? Curator: Well, the artist seems interested in exploring the capabilities of engraving. These lines – almost mechanical in their precision – were meant to decorate something grand, maybe a wall panel or furniture piece in some aristocrat’s home. You can imagine the repetition of labor involved, and where that fits within baroque period. Editor: Hmm, so you think less ‘artistic expression,’ more... decorative labor? Curator: Exactly. Lepautre, you could say, was creating templates. Imagine craftsmen meticulously copying these designs, scaling them up, chiseling them into wood or stone, how each person is an interchangeable part of the decorative process. This reminds you of a wallpaper production. Editor: I still get a feeling beyond mere decoration though. Take those figures tucked within the foliage. A hint of mischievousness? There's an exuberance, maybe even hedonism bubbling underneath the surface. You're right, it feels meant for wealthy, playful tastes, but look at the sheer indulgence of line and form; all those curlicues—they hint to me at the decadence on the edge of crumbling. Curator: Intriguing! While you are caught in its surface, its aesthetic of visual complexity, I am reminded that what may appear as artistic flourish to the eye, has often a deeply capitalistic story of materials and men to it, it’s a different world from our current forms of making, however. The industrial revolutions is only at the gate... Editor: I hear you, of course, even while finding myself a bit bewitched by Lepautre’s strange beauty. It shows how complicated and interesting artistic vision can be, how the simplest line could represent the beginning of so much. Curator: Absolutely! It makes you want to rethink everything you consider art. This gives art history all its glory.