Sébastien Bourdon 1733

Editor: This is a print of Sébastien Bourdon by Laurent Cars. I’m struck by the setting – this crumbling architectural space, it almost feels like a stage. What symbols do you see here? Curator: The broken frame is telling. It reflects the romantic ideal of the artist as someone wrestling with creation, perhaps at odds with the established order. Notice, too, how Bourdon gazes off to the side, a pose reminiscent of classical muses. What cultural memory does this choice evoke? Editor: Maybe the artist wanted to signal that Bourdon was inspired by the past? Curator: Precisely! And consider the artist’s tools juxtaposed against the rough stone. Doesn't that suggest the power of creation to emerge even in the most unlikely of circumstances? I hadn't thought about it that way before. Editor: Definitely makes you think about the artist’s role in society.