Tomb of Jean Jacques Rousseau 1778

Curator: Moreau le Jeune created this print, "Tomb of Jean-Jacques Rousseau." It depicts the island where Rousseau was buried in the garden at Ermenonville. Editor: It’s quite serene. The delicate rendering of light on the water creates a calming, almost melancholic mood. Curator: Indeed. The island became a pilgrimage site, reflecting Rousseau's immense cultural impact. The print served to propagate his cult of personality. Editor: The trees are arranged almost like a colonnade, framing the tomb. It suggests a carefully constructed scene, idealized perhaps. Curator: Precisely. The image presents a carefully constructed vision of Rousseau's legacy, designed to evoke specific emotional and political responses. Editor: It is a compelling landscape, despite its somber subject. The composition directs our eye to the tomb and beyond. Curator: A somber, yet inspirational landscape, a place of literary pilgrimage.