Tailpiece to La Forêt de Fontainebleu Possibly 1908

Editor: So, this is "Tailpiece to La Forêt de Fontainebleu," possibly from 1908, by Auguste-Louis Lepère. It’s an ink and woodcut print. The stark contrast gives it a graphic feel, and the grapes themselves seem almost… weighty, symbolic even. What do you see in this piece, beyond the obvious grapes? Curator: Grapes, of course, are rich in symbolic meaning. Historically, and across cultures, grapes are strongly associated with fertility, abundance, and celebration – think of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. But even outside the bacchanal, the cluster formation speaks to community and interconnectedness. Does the 'tailpiece' designation alter your perception? Editor: That's a good point! Knowing it's a tailpiece… makes me think about endings, perhaps the close of a chapter. Does the imagery suggest any contrast between abundance and finality? Curator: Exactly. The symbol of the grapes in the tailpiece functions to act as a counterpoint: is the 'end' truly an end, or does it promise a beginning of something new. Are there psychological connotations to the choice of such weighty iconography to close the "chapter"? What lingers for you? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't considered the psychological weight. The density of the black ink really emphasizes the fullness of the grapes, but also, perhaps, the weight of what has come before. It leaves me wondering what Lepère intended the viewer to carry away from the book, visually and emotionally. Curator: And, ultimately, isn't that what all symbols aim to do – to transcend the literal and tap into our collective understanding? Editor: Definitely gives me a lot to think about. I guess grapes aren’t just grapes!