Illustration to the Iliad 1795

Curator: Let's dive into this engraving by John Flaxman, titled "Illustration to the Iliad," created in 1795. What strikes you most upon seeing it? Editor: The starkness, definitely. The clean lines and minimal shading give it a real sense of drama, but also distance. It's like looking at a stage play from very far back. What do you see in it? Curator: I see Flaxman engaging in a powerful commentary on heroism and its consequences, filtered through a Neoclassical lens. The Iliad, of course, is foundational to Western literature, and here Flaxman strips away any romanticism from the epic, presenting us with a brutal, almost clinical depiction of violence. How do you read the absence of color? Editor: It does intensify the starkness. It’s almost like a diagram of violence, not the thing itself. Almost like an intellectual exercise rather than emotional experience. Curator: Precisely. This aligns with the broader Enlightenment project of rationality and order, but what about its connection to social hierarchies? Do you notice that all the actors in the picture appear to be male, at different positions of violence, from triumphant warrior to those being carted away by gods? Editor: Oh, yeah. You’re right! It highlights this hyper-masculine vision of conflict that often sidelines female perspectives. Like the epic poem glorifies war, and Flaxman's illustration further crystallizes its cultural narrative? Curator: Exactly. Flaxman uses this minimalist aesthetic to make us question the very foundations of heroism and power structures. This makes one think what it says about his stance and the social contexts surrounding the violence as opposed to its pure physical result. The piece speaks volumes about gender, class, and the narratives that dominate history. Editor: I didn’t think I would find that so interesting. I saw just lines, but now, by situating this artwork within historical and philosophical contexts, it's telling an entirely new story!