Jongeman kijkt verschrikt naar drie vrouwen en een baby in een interieur c. 1787 - 1801

Editor: So, this is an engraving by Jean Louis Darcis, made somewhere between 1787 and 1801. The title translates to "A Young Man Looks Terrified at Three Women and a Baby in an Interior." I find the composition really striking – the young man seems so isolated in his shock, while the women and baby form a sort of accusing group. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: You know, the melodrama is precisely what gets me! Darcis has staged quite a scene, hasn't he? It reminds me of bad theatre, but wonderfully so. We see what was fashionable at the time. Observe, that lounging fellow is quite foppish, a touch louche, wouldn’t you agree? And there they are, like a silent movie audience disapproving, perhaps shocked at our fop's dissipation. There's tension here, almost a comic dread hanging in the air. Does it seem the young women are almost matronly, the youth not taking his position of responsibility seriously enough? What sort of story might it be telling, I wonder? Editor: I hadn't thought about that. I was focusing on the young man's immediate reaction, but seeing the whole narrative opens things up. It is staged, theatrical. Like the 'aftermath' scene in a cautionary play. I am now curious to read a play by Moliere. I would like to know the complete story, like, how did he get *here*? Curator: Exactly! Isn't it delicious, to wonder? It's not just about the pretty frock coats and the pearl necklaces of the time, but about relationships and values, really. Each look on the faces. To what extent are we creating those looks, those possible worlds that he may have got himself into. Are we interpreting it correctly? Did it come out of his time? So much to consider! Editor: I agree, considering those perspectives changes everything. I find myself making a narrative now, too! The melodrama hooked me in!