Alte Frau, drei jungen Frauen aus einem Glase wahrsagend 

Editor: We are looking at “Alte Frau, drei jungen Frauen aus einem Glase wahrsagend,” an ink drawing by Jean-Baptiste Greuze. It's currently located in the Städel Museum. It's rendered in very subtle washes of ink; the overall mood is both intimate and a bit eerie, almost like a peek into a hidden ritual. What initially jumps out at you when you see this, especially given Greuze's inclination towards classicism? Curator: You know, it feels like stumbling into someone's secret. It's Greuze playing with light and shadow – that moody chiaroscuro. It takes what could be a standard genre scene and infuses it with this undeniable air of mystery. I mean, look at the crone. She holds court at that table, her face etched with what could be wisdom, or just cunning, who’s to say? Greuze is typically all about virtue and morals in paint, but here? It's delightfully ambiguous. It’s got me wondering, what is in that glass? Are they seeing the truth, or just what they want to see? Do you get that vibe too? Editor: Absolutely. It feels like Greuze is hinting at something just beyond our grasp, playing with the contrast between youth and age, knowledge and naivety. But there is this tiny, almost comical dog in the foreground... What is that about? Curator: Ah, the little rascal! I think he brings the scene crashing back down to Earth. He's a grounding element of reality poking at us, amid all this superstitious hoo-ha. I see it like this: while everyone’s lost in dreams, old and young, a good boi keeps it real. What have you taken away from the picture? Editor: I agree that this really puts an original, unsettling, spin on Greuze's trademark classicism, showing that he's got the magic to turn seemingly simple things on their head, all through the wizardry of shadows and inkwash. Curator: I think you hit the nail on the head; he doesn't shove a moral down our throats. Instead, he nudges us, whispering "what if?", making this more profound and unsettling than any blatant lecture.