Schildpad wint de wedloop van haas 1836

Curator: Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps' "Schildpad wint de wedloop van haas," or "Tortoise Wins the Hare Race" in English, created in 1836, is currently housed here at the Rijksmuseum. It is rendered using lithography, etching and other drawing mediums. What's your initial impression of this piece? Editor: My initial impression is that it is mocking us and humanity in a sort of understated way. The texture of the landscape creates a dreamy but subtly biting atmosphere, though I must admit the lack of color leaves me a little cold. Curator: I see it differently, I see it as the image taking part in the French Romanticism art movement which would take liberties to explore a darker sense of humor. This piece serves to play upon established iconography for new forms of expression that comment on the changing face of Europe. It also alludes to ideas and philosophies surrounding man's dominance and power at the time. Editor: Absolutely, it does invoke the core tension within Romanticism – the desire for something grander while confronting a stark reality, here the image seems to be a critique of human society through its depiction of animals and their societal roles. Curator: Tell me more, I'm very curious. Editor: Consider the setting Decamps' places the hare: atop a structured stone, leaning idly. Symbolically, is it perhaps to indicate that human construction, institutions, hierarchies, or perceived societal order may be just as static and obstructive to genuine progress as this seemingly sleeping hare? Curator: That's certainly an astute observation regarding Decamps' critique, specifically concerning the societal structures and power dynamics of his time. The positioning of the hare also suggests that individual hubris is ultimately useless against the more considered efforts of community as the tortoise is placed further in the distance, closer to its goals. Editor: Precisely! It also hints at how seemingly natural or pre-ordained systems might simply perpetuate certain imbalances, and only a steady push towards social justice, like the slow and steady tortoise, can enact actual change. Curator: What a profound connection to draw! I will always think about your interpretations of Romanticism through this image! Editor: Likewise!