Naakte vrouw kust een beeld van een faun 1872 - 1934

Curator: It has a somewhat melancholic, dreamlike quality, don't you think? Editor: It does. Today we are looking at "Naakte vrouw kust een beeld van een faun," or "Naked woman kissing a statue of a faun." The work, attributed to Armand Rassenfosse, probably dates between 1872 and 1934 and consists of drawing and etching work done with pencil. The print presents us with a nude woman embracing and kissing the stone statue of a faun in what looks like a sparsely wooded area. Curator: What strikes me is how Rassenfosse uses the motif of the Faun. Faun imagery carries such a weight of classical history but here it feels so intimate, so personal. I wonder what kind of story the image is telling. Editor: I would argue it is not so much the image itself but how we receive the Faun image, especially considering the context. It circulated during an epoch where older social conventions surrounding intimacy were slowly dissolving. How do you view such an image publicly versus in private? Did it intend to provoke in some way? Curator: Certainly. The symbolism could act almost as a projection screen for anxieties about desire, and the place of the body at that time. The nude figure in juxtaposition with the classical faun carries a very specific, emotional resonance. I see continuity with classical art traditions—an invocation of antiquity to explore a theme of longing that extends far beyond its time. Editor: These depictions are always walking a thin line; if displayed in one area, it may face censorship. Placed in another setting, it generates entirely different perceptions and critiques. A really fascinating piece of ephemera for such historical circumstances! Curator: Absolutely, understanding how and why the image moves us becomes part of the image itself! Editor: Indeed! Thank you for sharing these cultural aspects about the imagery itself. Curator: Thank you! This has really expanded my viewing experience as well.