Neapolitan, from National Dances (N225, Type 1) issued by Kinney Bros. 1889

Editor: This is "Neapolitan, from National Dances," a print made around 1889 by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. The figure’s bright clothing immediately grabs my attention, almost leaping off this little card. What aspects of the artwork stand out to you? Curator: Immediately, the composition, the rendering of space, commands attention. The figure exists in a shallow, almost non-existent, depth. Observe how the artist positions her in dynamic motion yet flattens the image. Note also the use of color: a limited palette of reds, yellows, blues and white and their combinations, with linear banding emphasizing the decorative rather than representational aspect. How does this affect the overall reading of the work, do you think? Editor: It's true, there’s hardly any perspective. I guess that pushes me to focus on the colors and shapes as shapes. Like the way her skirt mimics the stripes on her headscarf. Does this flatness relate to other art forms of that time? Curator: Precisely! Recall the influence of Ukiyo-e prints of Japan on Western art at the end of the 19th century, and how their flattened perspective changed visual conventions. Further, the very nature of its design as a small card – its inherent “objectness” – shifts our viewing towards an appreciation of surface design over representational depth. Notice the tension between its existence as an advertisement and a small work of art. Editor: That’s so interesting; I hadn't considered it in terms of Japanese prints. It gives a totally different feeling for the piece. I was focusing on the “dancer,” but you are guiding me to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of surface. Curator: Precisely. In attending to line, colour and form, we discover an artwork existing as a constructed reality. It shifts one’s experience, wouldn't you say? Editor: Definitely. Now I see so much more than just a pretty picture on a card. Thanks!