Homer in Athens c. 1814

Curator: Blondel's "Homer in Athens," held here at the Harvard Art Museums, strikes me as an ode to artistic legacy, the delicate lines breathing life into the scene of Homer receiving honors. Editor: It reminds me of instructional drawings, with its precise lines that make it appear like a template for a sculpture. Curator: Exactly! It’s as if Blondel wanted to illustrate not just the scene, but the very process of immortalizing it in stone or bronze. The making of art, visualized. Editor: I agree. But how do we reconcile this with the classical subject matter? Is this about manufacturing history? Curator: Perhaps it’s about the labor involved in creating a myth—the conscious construction of artistic immortality. Editor: Precisely. It's a fascinating study of legacy through the lens of production. Curator: And that adds a layer of depth, doesn't it? It makes you wonder about the artists and artisans behind the celebrated names, the unacknowledged labor that shapes our understanding of history.