Staande geit, naar links after 1767

Editor: Here we have "Standing Goat, facing left" by Jean Baptiste Huet, created after 1767 using pencil on paper. It’s a rather charming sketch. What strikes me most is the textural detail he's achieved with just pencil. What's your take on this piece? Curator: It’s a seemingly simple work, isn’t it? But consider the social context. In the late 18th century, there was a growing fascination amongst the French aristocracy with pastoral scenes and the idealized countryside. Editor: An idealized countryside? How does this sketch play into that? Curator: Think of it. This isn't just a random doodle of a goat; it is a construction. Huet was very popular among the beau monde. A detailed study of a goat like this likely fed into a larger artistic project. Landscapes became fashionable, a way for the wealthy to play at rural life, removing them even farther from what reality was like for the actual people who kept countries running. Are we meant to see a real goat, or the signifier of "goat" in this artwork? Editor: That makes sense. The goat becomes more of a symbol... Curator: Precisely! These images had political implications. By glorifying rural life, they perhaps unintentionally whitewashed the struggles of the peasantry, solidifying the existing social hierarchy by making everything look prettier than it was in actuality. Do you think art should reveal, reinforce, or be neutral about those dynamics? Editor: Hmm, that gives me a lot to consider. I initially saw a nice drawing of a goat, but I see how it participates in a much larger story now. Thank you. Curator: And I suppose this humble goat drawing reminds me that what we think we see is always shaped by what we know, and what the society around us wants us to believe, and artists of the period could affect that direction.