Pomona 1782

Curator: This is Francesco Bartolozzi's "Pomona," an engraving rendered in sanguine. There's a distinct allegorical tone to this, wouldn't you agree? Editor: It does feel staged. Almost like a theater scene. I'm curious about the figures. Are they meant to represent something specific? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the title, "Pomona." In Roman mythology, she's the goddess of fruitful abundance. Now, how might the artist be using the female form to convey notions of abundance, particularly within the context of 18th-century societal expectations? Editor: So, he's using the female body as a symbol of fertility, but possibly within a patriarchal framework? Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to consider how women's bodies were, and still are, often instrumentalized to represent cultural ideals. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. It definitely changes how I see the image. Curator: Art can be a powerful lens for understanding the social and political forces at play throughout history.