De buitenkermis / Les saltimbanques 1800 - 1833

Curator: Immediately, what strikes me is the visual language—the blocky arrangements, the limited palette... it feels so very much of its time. Editor: That's interesting. Tell me more. We're looking at a lithograph titled *De Buitenkermis / Les Saltimbanques*, meaning something like "The Outdoor Fair/The Acrobats," dating from 1800 to 1833 by Philippus Jacobus Brepols, here in the Rijksmuseum collection. It's a fascinating glimpse into early 19th-century popular entertainment. Curator: It absolutely carries the weight of social meaning, though. Observe the repetition of figures, almost archetypes. A clown with a sword, acrobats contorting themselves. The imagery evokes the enduring human need for spectacle, for something outside the daily grind. Editor: Agreed, there's a universality, and yet the execution is quite... literal, wouldn't you say? Each little scene, perfectly self-contained. The bright swathes of primary colors outlining each scene creates an order, a very deliberate separation between acts and actors. The composition reminds me of a grid, all contained within their tiny sequential frame. Curator: Those small frames lend it the character of something between a children's primer and a social document. And you see common, deeply entrenched symbols there: the animal trainer as the one controlling beasts – reflecting control over instinct, the tightrope walker balancing society... It subtly reinforces norms. Editor: Is the reinforcement the intent? I think its illustrative charm makes its statement. This work presents a picture of simple human joy; the pleasures, simple games and trade, are shared across all peoples through this simple means of trade in illustrated art. I wonder what role did semiotics play here, however simply created by their arrangement; Curator: Perhaps there wasn’t a planned “statement” behind Brepol’s image and execution; perhaps our human desire to play and laugh as it always does throughout any era in culture takes over? Perhaps that speaks volumes. Editor: Hmm… I think in that thought is a beauty and wonder. An invitation, across all culture.