Vingt mille lieues sous les mers: Le combat avec le requin 1989

Editor: This mixed-media piece is titled "Vingt mille lieues sous les mers: Le combat avec le requin," or "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: The Fight with the Shark," and it’s dated 1989 by Bernard Buffet. The angular figures and somewhat desolate underwater scene create a strangely theatrical feeling, don't you think? What do you see in this piece in terms of its broader social commentary, if any? Curator: It's important to consider that Buffet created this series illustrating Jules Verne's novel fairly late in his career, after a period where his work had fallen out of favor with many critics. Verne's narratives are very much about humanity's relationship with technology and nature. Notice how the divers are enclosed in these clunky, almost dehumanizing suits. How does this relate to our ongoing fascination and anxiety about technology and exploration? Editor: I guess I see your point, it almost creates a sense of alienation, of man versus beast. There’s a sort of absurdity in the drama. The divers appear awkward, more like automatons than heroic figures. Curator: Exactly. The drama highlights a theme in Buffet's late work and perhaps society: a certain disillusionment with progress and an awareness of its potential dangers. The 'heroic' battle feels staged, even futile. Consider the social context of the late 1980s - anxieties surrounding nuclear proliferation, environmental degradation, and economic disparity were rising. How might these fears have influenced Buffet's interpretation of Verne? Editor: So you're saying the piece reflects those anxieties by portraying this almost comical, yet violent, scene beneath the surface? Instead of being an exciting exploration of the deep sea, it becomes a metaphor for a darker, more troubled societal mood. Curator: Precisely. And the deliberately rough, almost primitive style of execution reinforces that sense of unease. Buffet seems to be questioning the very notion of heroic progress that Verne's novel initially celebrated. It makes one ponder who is being protected, who is attacking, and how the underwater ecosystem and our planet at large will react. Editor: I never thought about it that way before, seeing beyond the narrative itself, but looking at its historic impact as well as context really transforms my understanding. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure, this helps one observe the deeper societal significance behind visual drama and its purpose.