Plate from Livre de Scenes Comiques 1729 - 1732

Curator: Well, this looks like a tense moment! Is it a play, a street performance, or maybe even a slice of everyday life from another time? It’s all captured in delicate etching and it evokes strong emotion in me. Editor: You know, that's quite insightful. We're looking at a plate from "Livre de Scenes Comiques", part of a series done by Gabriel Huquier between 1729 and 1732. It's currently held at the Art Institute of Chicago. Curator: Oh, "Comiques," you say? With the figure on the right clutching at his face like that, overcome with distress and a strange jealous clown staring out the window, it’s quite intense! I think the title might be a bit…ironic, let's say. Editor: It’s an etching on paper and that allows for a wonderful amount of detail in these kinds of narrative scenes. Baroque loved the dramatic and elaborate and that’s what it is delivering in truckloads, from architectural detail to the actors garments. It draws us into a little scene with a cast of characters enacting high drama. Curator: Definitely, but tell me about the stage. Are those supposed to be Roman ruins? It almost gives a feeling of timelessness, like these dramas play out again and again, through different settings. Editor: Yes, the theatrical setting plays a large role here. It really gives a nod to commedia dell'arte, where characters enact archetypical relationships. In this scene, you might wonder what events unfolded and prompted such expressive displays of anger, resentment, or frustration, the image explores the relationship between master and servant. It offers both an idealized scene as well as poking fun at those same images of social privilege. Curator: And it’s done so playfully through a baroque lens. What starts out almost romantic—a musical gathering under architectural splendor—twists with a good dose of comic rivalry. All told through the contrast of the actors gestures, costumes, stagecraft, it pulls it all together. Editor: Yes, seeing how Huquier has combined etching with the flair of Baroque theatrics has offered us an entry point to explore 18th-century culture through his narrative imagery. Curator: It really leaves you wondering what comedic story led to that one fellow losing his mind like that… art is fabulous at sparking curiosity, and what fun!