Soldier with Sword and Shield, Stepping over a Body 1755 - 1771

Curator: Here we have "Soldier with Sword and Shield, Stepping over a Body," an engraving created by Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, dating sometime between 1755 and 1771. It resides here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Right away, this scene evokes a sort of grim triumph, doesn't it? The victorious soldier is rendered almost cartoonish, with this slightly absurd hat. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what mood the artist tried to portray here, beyond straightforward violence. Curator: Precisely, although, I find this stark composition far more nuanced than a simple battle scene. Look at how de Loutherbourg contrasts the dynamic diagonal of the soldier’s pose with the inert, horizontal form of the slain figure beneath. The texture, achieved through intricate line work, further amplifies this opposition. Editor: Okay, I'm seeing the diagonal, and sure, there is that body—hard to miss. But, I can't get past this figure’s stance. One might interpret it as 'triumph,' as I noted initially, but it is also awkward. Curator: Yes, it is hardly a classical portrayal of the conquering hero, isn’t it? We might consider this a subversion of conventional historical painting. The artist's strategic arrangement almost disrupts the clarity of the soldier's heroic stance. Editor: The use of shadow is interesting, the almost-crude delineation, there's something theatrical about this depiction, it is as if it might illustrate a very dark fairy tale rather than some actual event. There is very little that can realistically evoke violence when observing the composition of lines here, at least for me. Curator: A darkness infuses it, indeed. De Loutherbourg manipulates light to define the forms, heightening the dramatic effect but at the cost of depth and a realistic ambiance, as you rightly point out. Perhaps we're meant to consider war and conquest as precisely that – a grim, dark tale. Editor: A cautionary tale indeed. What looks initially like a simple print seems to reveal much more, on deeper inspection. Curator: Indeed, a seemingly straightforward engraving unveils complex undercurrents through its compositional rigor and stylistic choices.