Letter Z 1630

Curator: Oh, this thing just leaped out at me with its kinda kooky energy. Are we even allowed to say “kooky” about 17th-century art? Editor: It’s permissible, especially when looking at Peter Aubry's "Letter Z", dating back to 1630. It's an engraving printed on paper. Curator: Oh wow, almost 400 years old. Makes my "kooky" seem kinda shallow, doesn't it? But still, something about the faces...the snakelike hair of that one on the left. Gives me the shivers. Editor: The artist deployed these grotesque masks, these highly ornamental grotesque masks—characteristic of the Baroque era—to give symbolic and narrative weight to this alphabetic figure. Curator: Symbolic weight, eh? Like each grimace means something specific? Tell me! Editor: Consider the structure first: the letter Z is built from scrolling foliage. Now, distributed around it we observe the different masks... Curator: Those guys looking like they walked straight outta my dreams and nightmares, honestly. Are those like...deities or something? Editor: Their exact symbolism is hard to pin down centuries later, but they would likely serve a decorative purpose within the broader context of Baroque aesthetics; to evoke the drama of emotion. They all do seem like emotions, twisted up into faces, don’t they? It is like seeing concentrated fear or surprise. The letter Z becomes a framework holding an encyclopedia of expression. Curator: So it’s like Aubry trapped raw feelings within the letter? Sort of alphabetizing agony. Makes you think about how easily appearances deceive you. You see this beautiful, decorative 'Z,' then WHAM! You're ambushed by souls flashing a range of expressions. This piece feels very honest. Editor: Perhaps in its attempt to catalogue those intense affects of life. That makes it quite fitting the Art Institute chose to preserve this expression over the centuries.