Berline 1821

Editor: We're looking at "Berline," a print from 1821 by Christian David Gebauer, housed right here at the SMK. It's an engraving of a rather serious-looking dog. I am struck by how it almost seems like a candid snapshot despite being an engraved print. What draws your eye when you look at this piece? Curator: It's funny you say "serious." To me, this engraving has a whimsical quality. Perhaps it's the slightly awkward pose or the way the engraver has captured the dog's weight shifting. It reminds me of a beloved pet, caught in a moment of dignified clumsiness. What's more, think about this dog existing on paper, able to travel everywhere. Has this Berline perhaps been on more adventures than either of us? Does it bring up any ideas about how animals are depicted in art? Editor: I hadn't considered that at all. The dog, yes, its potential adventures across time! How the print elevates a simple dog to a subject worthy of art, but then diffuses it into many potential existences through its reproduction...It makes me wonder, what was Gebauer trying to capture? Curator: Maybe he was trying to freeze time, like capturing a fleeting scent. Each line etched into the plate preserves a tiny bit of that instant, the dog's particular stance. Consider that realism was gaining momentum then, an intent to show subjects how they *are.* In some ways, art is a way to visit again and again our old companions and past friends. What do you think? Is it just a dog, or more than that? Editor: It is both! I think what I appreciate is this piece opened doors to things I hadn't even imagined. Thank you! Curator: Indeed! Maybe we are *all* just a dog, posing in an awkward moment and forever immortalized by time and affection.