Verstoring van orgelspel door straathonden 1705 - 1772

Curator: So, here we have "Verstoring van orgelspel door straathonden" – "Disturbance of organ playing by stray dogs" – a charmingly chaotic engraving by Gabriel Huquier, sometime between 1705 and 1772. Found at the Rijksmuseum. Isn't it wonderfully frantic? It looks like an early meme in high society. What's your first impression? Editor: Utter mayhem! An organ is being knocked over, a swarm of dogs are…well, swarming, and people are peering out of windows, looking on with a mixture of amusement and concern. It definitely tells a story. How would you interpret what's going on here? Curator: Well, look closer at that swarm. Those aren't just dogs, are they? There's a concentrated energy, an almost orchestrated dissonance, between high-minded "art" and the base instincts of, well, street dogs. It is quite theatrical! Do you get the sense the artist had some thoughts about artistic patronage, about high and low culture? Editor: I see what you mean! There’s that tension, and I never thought of it like that. I suppose I was too caught up in the comical nature of the scene to notice the deeper message. All the social commentary seems like an added layer, too. The engraving could have been commissioned as pure entertainment, I'd wager. Curator: It's tempting to see the dogs only as a symbol for anarchy, but there's a sort of earthy vitality in their chaotic joy too, don't you think? Perhaps a celebration of the untamed? Editor: I didn't see it that way. So maybe it is all in perspective. Art is often about looking, but also about one's unique frame. Curator: Exactly! I have fresh eyes and new perpectives. Always enriching.