How do you do? -Thank you! and you? -I thank you. Don't take your hat off! -As you see; and ... are you well?..., p. 13 1853

Editor: Here we have Paul Gavarni's "How do you do? -Thank you! and you? -I thank you. Don't take your hat off! -As you see; and ... are you well?..., p. 13," and it depicts two gentlemen exchanging greetings. The scratchy lines create a sense of hurried politeness, don't you think? What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see Gavarni playfully capturing the rigid social rituals of his time, like a dance where the steps are more important than genuine feeling. Do you notice how their bodies seem almost to recoil from each other, even as they engage in conversation? Editor: Yes, there's a sort of stiffness. Is that a commentary, perhaps, on the superficiality of those interactions? Curator: Precisely! Gavarni was a master of social satire. He uses humor to expose the artificiality beneath the surface of polite society. I wonder, does it remind you of any interactions you've observed lately? Editor: It does, actually. It seems some things never change. I'll definitely look at Gavarni's work with a different eye now. Curator: Exactly! Art can become a fun mirror to the world.