Illustration til Don Quixote 1776 - 1777

Curator: Here we have an engraving from around 1776 or 1777, attributed to Georg Haas. It's entitled "Illustration til Don Quixote" and resides here at the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: Immediately, it strikes me as a stage scene, meticulously crafted. Everyone's arranged just so, as if they're waiting for their cue in a play, perhaps one involving grand pronouncements and courtly gestures? Curator: The intaglio print definitely lends itself to that theatrical air, doesn't it? These types of narrative-driven prints, like history paintings or genre scenes, they tap into shared cultural knowledge, in this case, the enduring story of Don Quixote. It evokes the performance and performativity inherent in chivalric tales. Editor: Exactly. The rigid formality clashes wonderfully with Quixote’s chaotic imagination. I almost sense the anxiety and absurdity of someone completely consumed by delusion, with just a hint of something tragic. Is that Don Quixote himself, being hoisted up on what seems like a palanquin? It is almost reminiscent of tragicomedy. Curator: I think so! Note the architecture, drawing from the same sources as the stories. We’re seeing classicizing Roman arches blended with more ornate baroque detailing. It reflects a conscious positioning of the story within specific cultural and artistic traditions. Editor: I hadn’t noticed that level of historical pastiche at first. It suggests that Quixote's madness isn’t just a personal quirk but a misinterpretation, a sort of funhouse mirror held up to history itself. I like how it makes me consider not only the psychology of the protagonist but the symbols and traditions which undergird him. Curator: It is a testament to the lasting power of these symbols. From philosophy to storytelling, from high art to low jokes, this image serves to show the persistence of archetypes in the modern, rational mind. And how such archetypes shape our conception of heroism. Editor: Yeah, heroes both real and imagined, like ourselves. Makes you think how much our inner lives become performances to make a story of our lives.