Letter S 1630

Peter Aubry produced this ornamental "Letter S" engraving sometime in the 17th century. During this period, the rise of printmaking allowed artists like Aubry to disseminate elaborate designs widely, influencing fashion, architecture, and the decorative arts. Notice how the letterform itself is composed of swirling, organic lines, punctuated by grotesque masks. This reflects the Mannerist style, which delighted in complexity and artifice. These faces represent a broader cultural fascination with the human form, albeit one often filtered through the lens of caricature and the carnivalesque. The placement of these almost mocking faces within the swirls of the "S", makes me consider identity. In this time, identity was often tied to social status and religious affiliation, so in a way, by distorting the human form, Aubry may have been questioning those rigid boundaries. Consider the duality in this print: the beauty of the ornamental letter and the unsettling nature of the faces. This piece speaks to the tensions inherent in a society grappling with shifting notions of self and representation.