Punishment of Boys in School 1810

Editor: This is "Punishment of Boys in School" by Bartolomeo Pinelli. It is a small print, and the scene is… well, chaotic! What's your take on all this? Curator: Ah, Pinelli! I imagine his Rome smelled of figs and charcoal. Here, he captures a very human drama. The teacher, perhaps overwhelmed, the punished boy’s grimace, the other children’s mixture of fear and fascination…it’s a small window into a world of childhood. Editor: It’s funny and unsettling at the same time! Thanks for pointing out that range of emotions. Curator: Exactly! It’s in those contrasts that the real story lies, isn’t it?