Male and Female Bacchants Installing a Herm c. 1792

Editor: This is "Male and Female Bacchants Installing a Herm," by Louise Pithoud. It depicts a classical scene, and has a performative mood. I wonder what the socio-political context might be? Curator: It's fascinating how Pithoud portrays these Bacchants in the act of 'installing' this Herm, isn't it? This suggests a conscious act of placing and displaying. Considering the period, how do you think the public might have interpreted a woman artist representing such a scene of pagan ritual? Editor: Maybe they saw it as subversive, reasserting pre-Christian values? Curator: Precisely. It challenges the dominant narrative, placing female figures at the center of ritual and artistic creation, which was itself a challenge to the art establishment. Editor: I hadn't considered the artist's gender as a commentary in itself. Curator: It's crucial to understanding the work's complexities and its reception within the art world.