Schikgodinnen 1801

Editor: So, here we have "Schikgodinnen," an engraving made in 1801 by Pierre Audouin, currently at the Rijksmuseum. It has a rather somber mood, wouldn't you say? All those muted grays, figures huddled in what looks like a cave... What catches your eye, what's your reading of this scene? Curator: Mmm, the shadows do create an air of mystery, don’t they? What I find intriguing is how Audouin, working in the Neoclassical style, chooses to depict the Fates. Usually, you see them as these imposing, almost terrifying figures. But here? There's a fragility. A vulnerability in their work. It almost feels… intimate. Notice the text below. Are the figures really working, or rather "épuisent également leurs quenouilles"—are they depleting their threads? Editor: Depleting…so, is Audouin suggesting that even the Fates are subject to decline or, perhaps, are actively complicit in ending a life rather than weaving its destiny? Curator: Precisely! It adds a layer of complexity. It's no longer a question of inevitable destiny, but of choice. Agency. Remember, this is the Age of Enlightenment bubbling underneath. Ideas about self-determination, about challenging predetermined roles are in the air. And here’s Audouin giving these mythical women a moment of, dare I say, existential angst. What a statement! Editor: I see what you mean. It really shakes up the classic idea of fate being this unchangeable force. I didn't catch all that depth just looking at it. Curator: Art's full of those subtle whispers, isn't it? Glad to have untangled another string today.