Twee schermers in actie 1859

Editor: Jules de Goncourt’s etching, “Two Fencers in Action,” from 1859, has this fascinating quality, doesn't it? It feels like we're stumbling upon a clandestine practice session, or perhaps even a duel being rehearsed, not meant for public consumption. What story do you think Goncourt is trying to tell, or perhaps suggest, with this work? Curator: Ah, that's the delicious question, isn't it? It's an image teeming with understated drama. Goncourt, you see, was obsessed with capturing fleeting moments of real life – the nitty-gritty, unvarnished stuff. I suspect he was less interested in a grand narrative and more captivated by the sheer energy and tension between those fencers. And isn’t there also the theatre of it all? Editor: The theatre? In a fencing practice? Curator: Indeed! Look at the composition – the “stage” defined by what look like hastily-drawn curtains, the shadowy onlookers in the background as if witnessing a performance… even the swords laying still at the bottom look like mere props on the stage once the actors had abandoned them! This piece flirts with Romanticism, with all its emphasis on raw emotion. Tell me, what do you sense from the lines themselves? Editor: There's definitely movement suggested in them; the lines are scratchy and hurried but there’s an intricacy in the way the fencing masks and draped clothing are shaded, contrasting with the barren stage backdrop. They bring focus to those parts of the work. Curator: Precisely. It's almost as if the environment around them fades, unimportant against the dance and imminent combat they are poised to participate in. We must see with our feelings; only then does art speak to us, I feel. Editor: I get that sense too - thanks for shining a light!