Aggravation 1896

Editor: We’re looking at “Aggravation,” an oil painting by Briton Riviere, created in 1896. The immediate impression I get is chaos—a pack of dogs barking up at someone dressed as a jester looking over a wall. What's your read of this work? Curator: Ah, chaos tamed, perhaps? Or is it? Riviere, you know, was quite the animal painter. This one makes me chuckle. Look at that jester, perched up there like a naughty imp, pointing down as if he's personally offended these pooches! He's certainly stirring things up. What a wonderfully painted frenzy of teeth and fur, all that animalistic energy directed upwards, quite contained actually, by the wall. Editor: Contained, yes, but also quite agitated! I find it interesting that he painted dogs so often, were dogs a typical subject in Victorian painting? Curator: Dogs? Oh, they were everywhere! Status symbols, companions, moral guides, even… Riviere really mastered capturing their individual personalities, didn't he? Though, is this 'Aggravation', in essence, not a cheeky comment on power? The jester, from his higher vantage, controls the narrative, relishing the 'aggravation' he creates. What do you reckon he whispered to those dogs? Editor: That's an interesting point. Maybe it’s less about the dogs' feelings, and more about the jester’s power. I initially just saw the surface agitation, but I hadn’t thought about the instigator so much. Curator: Right! It is fun isn’t it? Thinking about how images function; reflecting societal nuances as well as an individual creative whim, both can co-exist. It is also great to look at how painterly qualities reflect the subject! And all this from just one image - go figure!