Twee panelen met representaties van november en december in het stadhuis te Nancy before 1896

Curator: This print showcases two decorative panels, thought to predate 1896, which were intended for the Nancy City Hall. These panels illustrate the months of November and December. The style reminds me so much of the Art Nouveau movement that spread throughout Europe in this time period! Editor: It is arresting! Both compositions have a kind of melancholy to them. November depicts a howling stag or deer and December a woodsman felling trees. The subjects evoke the quiet solitude that can accompany the turning of the year. Curator: They definitely exude a particular late 19th-century French aesthetic, especially given the genre painting style combined with these ornate frames surrounding each scene. We often see city halls as these emblems of civic pride. Displaying scenes of labor and the natural world speaks volumes about Nancy’s self-image at the time. Editor: Yes, and consider that Nancy was a place of tremendous growth. These images signal an acknowledgment of the laboring class but filtered through a very specific lens— celebrating it in the most decorative, romantic ways imaginable. This print raises questions about what messages a city chooses to publicly promote and the complex relationships between industry, labor, and the idealized image of civic life. Curator: Precisely. Think about the Arts et Métiers movement at the time too. I find myself wondering about the choices behind showcasing these very specific scenes of both wildlife and labour. Editor: We might ask, why these images specifically? November's deer appears mournful, possibly hunted. December’s woodcutter represents human intervention and domination over the natural environment. Are we seeing subtle commentary about societal transformation through the seasons? Curator: Maybe. Regardless, these panels and their printed representation offer such rich insights into a period where industry and artistry sought, sometimes uneasily, to coexist within the sphere of municipal identity. I love considering this print's place within that tension. Editor: Me too. I think looking at these decorative images prompts a reflection on the evolving values that societies want to represent to themselves and project outward to the world.