Capriccio met Bretonse haven c. 1760 - 1780

Editor: Here we have Jeanne Françoise Ozanne's "Capriccio met Bretonse haven," an engraving from around 1760-1780. It’s a bustling harbour scene, but somehow…dreamlike. It’s the Rococo style I think! What jumps out at you when you see it? Curator: Ah, Ozanne! She sees not just a harbour, but a stage! And she, like a mischievous playwright, has assembled the players. See how the architecture is almost cartoonish, the people are miniature actors, and the light itself seems to shimmer like a spotlight. Tell me, doesn't it remind you of Piranesi, but perhaps a touch lighter, less obsessed with monumental decay and more interested in… human drama? Editor: I see what you mean about the stage-like quality, almost like a backdrop in front of us, especially with that fortress looking like a painted set piece. Do you think this "lightness" suggests anything about the Rococo era compared to earlier periods? Curator: Lightness is a good word here. Think about how history usually deals in "weighty" matters—wars, treaties, the rise and fall of empires—but Rococo is about stolen moments, witty banter, and beauty enjoyed just for beauty's sake! What story do YOU think Ozanne is trying to tell, even without words? Is it about trade, travel, maybe love? Editor: Maybe all of that, combined with an appreciation for seeing the familiar world with new eyes, not taking everything so seriously, I suppose! Curator: Precisely! Perhaps it encourages us to see that world not as a map to conquer, but as a play in which we, too, get a brief and beautiful role. Thanks for helping me think more carefully.