Watch Out 1790

Curator: Carlo Antonio Porporati’s “Watch Out” presents us with a tender Cupid, finger to his lips, seemingly warning us of something unseen. Editor: The composition is striking, the oval format framing the figure perfectly. The textures, especially the drapery and the feathered wing, are beautifully rendered. Curator: The artist, active during a period of shifting societal structures, cleverly positions Cupid between classical allegory and everyday life; he’s both divine and humanized. Notice the lizard at the base, a symbol rife with social meaning depending on period and place. Editor: It’s the contrast between the softness of Cupid’s form and the sharpness of the engraving that really grabs my attention. Curator: Considering the context of printmaking, “Watch Out” was likely disseminated widely, engaging a broad audience in questions of love, desire, and warning. Editor: A piece that holds you in its visual thrall, its quiet tones belying a more complex symbolic narrative.