Joueur de flûte 1878

Curator: William Bouguereau’s 1878 oil painting, “Joueur de flûte," or "The Flute Player," is before us. Editor: My first impression? It’s almost unsettlingly perfect. That level of idealized realism…it makes the child seem less like a real boy and more like an exquisitely crafted doll. Curator: That smoothness is deliberate. Bouguereau aimed for an elevated form of beauty. Notice the details in the child’s hair and eyes – symbols of innocence and promise. The flute itself alludes to pastoral simplicity, harkening back to classical ideals. Editor: But those classical ideals are constructed, aren't they? Look at the boy’s clothing. It is carefully arranged, but looks as though he might be forced to participate, despite this instrument meant for merriment and revelry. How much labor went into achieving this impression of carefree beauty? What about the sourcing and mixing of paints, and who prepared the canvas for an artist of this prominence? Curator: Certainly. The artist operated within a very specific socioeconomic structure. The flute also has long-standing associations with mythological figures like Pan, god of the wild, representative of unrestrained sensuality. Perhaps this adds to the painting’s inherent tension. The artist is attempting to make a god in the common street. Editor: That contrast interests me most. This is clearly high art, but genre painting suggests that he encountered this figure of the flute player on the street. It would be fascinating to learn about Bouguereau’s creative process – what kind of preparation, and planning, might it have required to represent the commoner and common activity within the traditional frame? Curator: Indeed. Bouguereau masterfully balances realistic and symbolic representation in this artwork. The boy seems both universal and particular. The flute becomes both an object and an allegory. Editor: Thinking about how the image of this “common” figure has been transformed and preserved—from the materials to the context—it reveals so much more. I can only ask myself—who decides whose images get elevated to the status of high art, and why?