Journal des Luxus und der Moden 1788, Band III, T.13 1788

Editor: So, here we have "Journal des Luxus und der Moden 1788, Band III, T.13" by Friedrich Justin Bertuch, dating back to 1788. It seems to be an illustration, using pen, ink and coloured pencils. Honestly, my first impression is…those hairstyles are utterly wild. What on earth do you make of this piece? Curator: Wild indeed! But, beyond the, shall we say, *ambitious* hairstyles, lies a glimpse into a world obsessed with appearance. Look at the detail, almost forensic, in the rendering of the fabrics and the towering… edifices. It's almost a performance, don't you think? A theatre of self-presentation. These weren't just hairstyles, they were statements! Almost architectural! Doesn’t it make you wonder about the women underneath all that? Editor: Absolutely. Statements of…wealth? Status? The higher the hair, the higher the status? I guess the artist really captured that preoccupation with fashion and social standing. Curator: Precisely! And remember, this journal wasn’t just about showing clothes; it was about influencing taste. It shaped desires, fuelled trends, and arguably, upheld a certain social order. Now, do you notice anything particular about the way Bertuch uses line and color? Is there a sense of playfulness even within the formality? Editor: There's a delicate lightness to it all, isn't there? Even with the elaborate details, the colours are quite soft and the lines are clean and precise. It feels less like a rigid pronouncement and more like a gentle suggestion. Curator: Exactly! Bertuch, for me, captures the very essence of that fleeting moment—the cusp of revolution, a society teetering between opulence and… well, the guillotine. It’s funny and scary, like when you see a kitten with big fangs and red eyes... sort of! Editor: Oh, that’s a thought! I never considered the political context behind it all, but it's so visible now! Curator: History whispers in the most unlikely places! I do like this one: a quirky, interesting window into a lost, yet not too distant, world!