Virgil and Beatrice Meeting 1807

Editor: This is John Flaxman's "Virgil and Beatrice Meeting." It's a minimalist line drawing, very classical in style. What strikes me is the almost stark simplicity. How do you interpret its visual rhetoric? Curator: Flaxman, deeply engaged with Neoclassicism, deliberately uses this spare aesthetic to evoke the authority of ancient Greece and Rome. Consider how this style, popular during periods of revolution, aimed to establish new social orders by referencing a purified past. Do you see how the political landscape may have shaped Flaxman's choices? Editor: I see that now. It’s fascinating how the image's starkness, seemingly just a stylistic choice, reflects broader cultural aspirations for societal reform. Curator: Precisely. The print then functions as a tool, shaping public perception through its visual vocabulary. It makes you consider who had access to these images, and how that shapes the narrative. Editor: I hadn't considered the audience and the politics of accessing art like this before. Thanks!