Don Quixote 

Editor: This is Gustave Dore’s “Don Quixote,” a black and white illustration. It actually looks like a storyboard with two different scenes on the same page. The upper panel strikes me as melancholic, contrasting with the tension of a fainting scene in the lower panel. What catches your eye in this work? Curator: It's interesting how you immediately picked up on the contrast. For me, Doré captures the duality of Cervantes' masterpiece: the idealistic delusion versus stark reality. See how in the top panel, Don Quixote is miniaturized by the overwhelming landscape? It emphasizes his isolation, his quixotic pursuit a lonely one, marked by penance. Editor: Yes! It’s almost comical, the little bunnies hopping around Don Quixote like he’s part of the scenery! Then in the lower image, what about the architecture – does that have some bearing? Curator: Exactly! The opulence of the room where Luscinda faints is almost suffocating. All those decorative carvings create a heavy atmosphere. Look at how the figures are clustered, the emotions practically bouncing off those walls. It underscores the societal pressures suffocating these characters. Doesn't it feel as if the walls themselves are judging the moment? Editor: Definitely! The details amplify the melodrama. It really highlights how Doré can use different settings to speak to different themes of the story. Curator: Indeed! And how his images invites us to contemplate the universal struggles against societal norms and inner demons, and ultimately see how delusion is never too far removed from what's real.