Break of Dawn

Editor: Here we have Jacques Callot’s etching, "Break of Dawn." It's a small print, but somehow feels vast, with the owl flying over this whole landscape. What do you see in it? Curator: It reads to me as a commentary on societal structures. The owl, a symbol of wisdom and knowledge, surveys a land still shrouded in darkness, punctuated only by a distant, guiding star. Editor: What do you mean by structures? Curator: Consider how Callot, amidst the backdrop of the Thirty Years' War, uses the dawn—or its delay—as a metaphor for social enlightenment. Is the owl a watchful protector or a critical observer? Editor: I never thought of it that way. Curator: It's a powerful piece, isn't it? Hopefully it encourages us to consider our roles in either perpetuating or dismantling systems of power. Editor: It really does. I'll look at it differently now.