Pan and Syrinx (No. 2) c. 19th century

Editor: This is Frank Short's "Pan and Syrinx (No. 2)," a mezzotint print from the 19th century. It's dreamlike, almost like a memory fading at the edges. What’s your initial impression? Curator: A chase unfolding in twilight! Or is it dawn? Short’s handling of the mezzotint is just beautiful here; the tones feel so rich and velvety, doesn't it seem that you can almost *feel* the humid air near the reeds? Editor: Absolutely, and that's what draws me in – that sense of atmosphere. Can you tell me more about the story behind this? Curator: Well, we've got Pan, the Greek god, perpetually in pursuit. Here he is chasing Syrinx, a nymph who desperately tries to escape his amorous…affections. It’s from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*. Consider the story - is it desire, entrapment, or perhaps something in between etched into that landscape? What feelings bubble up for you when you consider it? Editor: It feels sad, really. Like the beauty of the natural world is tinged with this sense of impending loss or violation. Is that intended, do you think, or am I projecting a modern perspective? Curator: I think it's both, actually! Short, steeped in Romanticism, was likely drawn to the dramatic and emotional potential of the myth, which makes a work more meaningful with different eras experiencing it. Editor: It makes you think about power, doesn't it? The powerful pursuing the powerless. Curator: Exactly! The Romantic era also wrestled with ideas of nature and the sublime. How does that sense of scale impact you when looking at this work? The figures feel almost insignificant in comparison to the forest around them, or at least at first glance. Editor: I see what you mean! I hadn't really thought about that. Now it seems almost like the forest itself is complicit or at least indifferent to their plight. Curator: And Short, by masterfully wielding mezzotint, creates this unsettling beauty that lures us into their story. A clever act! Editor: Thanks for helping me see beyond the surface; there is much more to absorb from this work than initially perceived! Curator: And likewise; it’s amazing to ponder on what these long-past artists were aiming for, how they inspire or not our own takes, what’s lost, what stays.