Bust-length portrait of Trimalchio 1919

Curator: The first impression I get from this work is the unsettling effect of the subject's gnarled expression. Editor: This is Lovis Corinth's "Bust-length portrait of Trimalchio," held at the Harvard Art Museums. It's an etching, so we see the direct result of the artist manipulating the metal plate to hold ink. Curator: Exactly. The rough lines almost feel like physical manifestations of Trimalchio's own debauchery and excess. How do you view the work in its broader context? Editor: Well, Trimalchio, from Petronius's Satyricon, embodies the decadence of the Roman elite. Corinth, I think, uses the etching medium to suggest the moral decay of Trimalchio's world, and perhaps, a commentary on wealth and power in his own time. Curator: It is fascinating to consider how artists make use of materials and processes to convey specific messages. Editor: Yes, and to understand how those choices resonate across different eras and social landscapes.