Oedipus 1867

Editor: This is Ferdinand Gaillard’s engraving, Oedipus, at the Harvard Art Museums. I’m struck by the stark contrast and the figures’ placement within the dark cave. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The composition invites close scrutiny. Note how the artist uses chiaroscuro to emphasize the tension between Oedipus and the Sphinx. The linearity and the starkness in shading creates dramatic narrative tension. The bodies themselves, how do you view those in terms of line and form? Editor: Well, the muscularity of Oedipus contrasts with the Sphinx, creating a visual push and pull, a certain symmetry. Curator: Precisely. The artist uses their forms to structure a dialogue, not just between the figures in the image, but between the forms themselves. We see a symbolic struggle rendered structurally. Editor: That's fascinating. I'll never look at it the same way again!