Dreams of Hunting 1858

Curator: Look at this print, "Dreams of Hunting" by Célestin Nanteuil, dating from 1858. It is currently located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What strikes you most about it? Editor: Chaos, delightful chaos! A fever dream of tangled bodies, flora, fauna, all swirling in this dense, almost suffocating composition. It feels very Romantic, in the over-the-top, emotionally charged sense. Curator: Absolutely. Nanteuil was a key figure in the Romantic movement in France. Prints like this one showcase the period's fascination with history painting, with all its theatricality, and grand narrative sweep—albeit here with a rather, shall we say, surreal twist. Note how the traditional hunting scene melds with mythological figures. Editor: It's like a hunt that's gone completely off the rails. A wild Bacchanal collided with a very unfortunate deer. Is that supposed to be Diana, the huntress, standing almost centrally? Curator: Indeed. The print demonstrates the typical romantic notion of reinterpreting mythological themes under new narrative contexts, as seen, for example, in its approach to female nudes and depictions of flora as embodiments of raw emotion and drama. The layering, the use of light and shadow...it all adds to that intense emotional register. Editor: I love the dark, almost gothic, sensibility. There’s a tension here between beauty and something almost frightening. Like peeking into someone's psyche at its most unfiltered and, dare I say, most honest. Almost Freud before Freud. Curator: That’s insightful. In the mid-19th century, popular prints were widely distributed, affordable, and shaped public taste. "Dreams of Hunting" captures the imagination of a rapidly changing society grappling with modernization. How the old traditions intersect with new, modern desires. The hunt as a kind of metaphor, perhaps? Editor: Exactly! A metaphor for the messy, uncontrollable pursuit of…everything! Power, pleasure, understanding, oblivion. I suddenly feel quite overwhelmed. Curator: Then, I believe, we have truly grasped something of the print’s essence, its Romantic striving towards…well, towards something grand and ultimately unattainable. Editor: Yes, a glimpse into the delightful, untamed wilderness within. Thanks, Célestin, for the chaos!