Ulven, Faaret og Lammet 1760

Curator: Let’s discuss this striking print titled "Ulven, Faaret og Lammet," made around 1760. What are your initial thoughts on this engraving? Editor: The interplay of light and shadow immediately captivates me. Look at the way the artist uses line variation to define form, creating depth and texture. The composition has a rigorous, almost mathematical, balance. Curator: Yes, and within this formal structure, we see a clear socio-political commentary. The title translates to “The Wolf, the Sheep, and the Lamb.” This work engages with power dynamics, portraying vulnerability and aggression, echoing larger social imbalances of the time. Consider the genre: history painting as applied to the world of animals as if the state of nature tells truths about culture. Editor: I appreciate that reading, though I find it secondary to the artwork’s construction. Note how the figures, even the sheep, are rendered with anatomical precision. The artist's understanding of form shines. Even the landscape is a carefully orchestrated stage. Semiotically, these carefully designed motifs are indicators of symbolic intent that may elude superficial engagement. Curator: But the symbolic intent isn’t simply semiotic. Who do the wolf, the sheep, and especially the lamb, represent within the rigid social hierarchies? It forces us to acknowledge the artist’s possible critique of class structure and even perhaps theological parallels about faith and its corruption. Editor: An interesting intersectional point to observe might be the material process itself— the lines engraved here suggest at once permanence, order and starkness of the scene, enhancing the scene's unsettling mood of latent violence. Curator: Exactly. The visual choices enhance and give the theme a biting quality; you could see this landscape reflecting the state's authority bearing down upon its populace in periods of perceived upheaval, questioning norms and societal foundations. Thank you, that was most illuminating. Editor: Indeed. A close inspection reveals the artwork's depth, the artist's precision and thoughtful articulation in its crafting—a complex symbolic structure worth delving deeper into.