A Flirtation 1794 - 1800

Editor: This is "A Flirtation," a drawing made with ink on paper by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo between 1794 and 1800. It's housed at the Met. There’s a liveliness to the figures, even with the limited palette. What strikes you about it? Curator: The drawing’s material simplicity belies the complex social dance it depicts. Ink on paper – readily available, relatively inexpensive. Yet, Tiepolo captures this scene of flirtation with a deftness that elevates it beyond mere documentation. Notice the clothing; the fabric, the texture rendered with such economic use of line. Consider how that speaks to the modes of production at the time, and how Tiepolo, in choosing these materials, inserts himself into a specific economy of artistic creation. What does the speed of execution tell us about the cultural appetite of the time? Editor: It’s interesting to think about the materials as part of the statement. I initially just saw the aesthetic value. How does the choice of genre-painting impact the piece's context? Curator: Precisely. It challenges the hierarchy that privileges grand historical narratives or religious scenes. Tiepolo focuses on the everyday – a flirtation, a fleeting moment. The medium and the subject work together, blurring the lines between 'high' art and the quotidian experiences of the laboring classes, their entertainment, and leisure. How are we, the audience, invited to either join, judge, or separate from the scene based on materiality? Editor: I never considered how materials themselves could be a form of commentary. It makes me think differently about contemporary art, too. Curator: Absolutely. Thinking materially opens up the viewing experience, leading to rich, and nuanced analysis.