Valentine 1845 - 1875

Curator: Oh, my! It’s like a vintage explosion of sweetness. So intricate and delicate. Makes you want to whisper secrets. Editor: Precisely! Today we are observing "Valentine," a mixed media work of print, drawing and water colors on paper created by an anonymous artist in the period of 1845-1875. It’s currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Curator: Anonymous? Well, they certainly knew their way around a pair of scissors. The paper cutting is insane! All that lace and the figures—they’re like ghostly echoes. It looks so romantic! Is that what "romanticism" means? Editor: Indeed! We have a couple in the foreground, while a cherub with a garland of flowers flutters above. Down below there's pastoral scenery complete with fluffy sheep. The cut out technique used allows colors to peep through: mostly peach in the top and light green at the bottom Curator: Right, that cherub has me thinking... cupids are always depicted as these chubby toddlers with wings. Where does this image of desire come from? This piece is drenched in romantic longing, yet innocent. Editor: The Cupid is a classical image that continues in art history through present day as symbol of love. As a miniature and a hand-made object the work would speak of an idealized realm, and maybe as a souvenir, and perhaps to mark a shared cultural memory, of this important sentimental event.. It speaks volumes about societal values and aspirations, even now. Look at the floral motifs bordering the entire perimeter: like embracing love with flowers! Curator: I see it! Those tiny details are bursting with sentiment! From its composition, with cut out figures against an orangey background and floating above the central green plane that is surrounding the inscription, everything is designed to be visually soothing, don't you agree? I wonder what secrets it holds? Whose love story is embedded in its fibers? Editor: It really prompts the questions of how art, love and popular art forms get intertwined and repeated for centuries! Curator: Absolutely, this small valentine makes me feel like the original expression of care from anonymous people across time!