Borden, plaat XV 1827 - 1829

Curator: Before us is "Borden, plaat XV", an engraving, ink drawing, and print made sometime between 1827 and 1829 by Charles Onghena. Editor: It's incredibly detailed for its size, whatever its precise dimensions may be! The line work is so precise, almost mechanical. The overall effect is cool, precise... restrained. Curator: Indeed, that restraint, combined with the decorative arts depicted, echoes the Romanticism movement. It evokes a kind of ordered fantasy, don’t you think? There are echoes of past eras embedded within these meticulously rendered shapes and scenes. Note the frequent use of oval frames, a visual metaphor that suggests containment and preciousness. Editor: And each oval contains different subject matter; they vary considerably from abstract geometric forms to detailed figurative scenes. This immediately calls to mind the semiotic approach to images. Each form possesses a symbolic vocabulary and contributes to an overall discourse. It's an interplay between pure geometry and mimetic representation. Curator: Precisely. Consider, for instance, image II; the serpent entwined among foliage suggests cycles of renewal and perhaps even the fall of man, an Edenic echo that resonates across cultures. Then observe VI and IX - romanticized historical allegories referencing classical tropes of idealized love. What do you read there? Editor: I am stuck by the almost clinical detachment within the depiction of such supposedly highly emotive content. Is the very form of reproduction or reproduction process itself distancing the viewer from the images, making a comment on artistic practice and the rise of industrialisation? Curator: That's an astute observation. In that sense, the artist invites us to ponder our own relationship to the symbols. Their meaning doesn’t arrive fully formed. Instead, the artwork invites our contemplation of their use across diverse cultures, historical epochs, and contexts. The visual language speaks even now. Editor: A powerful blend of craft and commentary. I find my reading of Romanticism to have shifted due to our talk today. Curator: As do I, and perhaps those are signs that we should step back to reflect on how even these simple forms, with their layers of symbolism, can touch something buried deep inside of us.