Twee reliëfs met fruit en vogels c. 1875 - 1900

Editor: So, this photograph captures two reliefs, titled "Twee reliëfs met fruit en vogels," dating roughly from 1875 to 1900, created by Gustave Eugène Chauffourier. The way the fruit and birds are sculpted feels very classic and idealized to me, yet something about the way it is photographed gives it an everyday feel. What catches your eye when you look at these reliefs? Curator: Immediately, I'm struck by the recurring motif of abundance – fruit and birds – common symbols used throughout art history, reaching back to classical antiquity, as a blessing upon the home. What is particularly interesting is how these elements were reinterpreted within Neoclassicism. What kind of message could these objects relay for a 19th-century audience, compared to those for whom these symbols were originally conceived? Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn't considered the evolution of these symbols over time. Do the specific types of fruit or birds have particular significance? Curator: Precisely! Grapes, for example, are readily identified with Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, celebrations, and theatre. A way to visually suggest wealth and plenty through a carefully constructed vocabulary. Editor: So, it’s almost like Chauffourier is using a visual language that the educated viewer would understand and appreciate? Curator: Absolutely. The images are laden with the visual inheritance from the Renaissance. Chauffourier consciously revives and translates the pictorial lexicon for his time. This begs the question, however: Are we capable of perceiving this work with its original symbolism? Or have the original signified meanings of its visual vocabulary been irrevocably changed by the intervening years? Editor: That’s something I'll definitely be thinking about. Thank you for helping me to unlock another dimension of looking. Curator: My pleasure, contemplating shifts in cultural memory through visual symbols is a life-long pursuit.