Don Quixote 

Editor: This monochrome engraving, likely by Gustave Doré, depicts a scene from Don Quixote, with the protagonist suspended from a window. There’s a strong sense of dark humor mixed with vulnerability in this depiction. What underlying themes are present in this illustration beyond the immediate narrative? Curator: This image really encapsulates the tension between aspiration and reality, doesn't it? Don Quixote, as a figure, embodies a yearning for a bygone era of chivalry, a rejection of the mundane. Doré's visual language accentuates this clash. What does the very detailed and almost grotesque depiction of the horse compared to the shining armor of Don Quixote himself tell you? Editor: Perhaps that even the tools and world around him can't live up to the idealism he embodies? The horse seems very much of this earth while he is attempting to live in the clouds. Curator: Exactly. This disconnect extends to the social realm. Cervantes’ work and, by extension, Doré’s illustration, speaks to the anxieties of a society grappling with modernity and the loss of traditional values. Don Quixote's "madness" could be seen as a form of resistance. Can we view this resistance in a similar light as contemporary social justice movements that confront established power structures and norms? Editor: That's a fascinating angle. It frames Quixote not just as a deluded figure, but as someone actively pushing back against the accepted reality, even if in a misguided way. His struggle mirrors the ongoing fight against oppressive forces. Curator: Precisely. It’s not just about laughing at the absurdity, but about recognizing the courage, however flawed, in challenging the status quo. Doré, through his art, prompts us to examine our own roles in upholding or dismantling those structures. Editor: I will never see the character or this image the same again. Thank you!