Le lièvre et la tortue 2021

Editor: Here we have Cricorps’ oil painting, “Le lièvre et la tortue,” created in 2021. It's quirky! The dark colors and naive style give it such an uncanny feeling. What exactly is going on here? Curator: Indeed. The painting cleverly merges the aesthetic of a traditional portrait with the children’s fable "The Tortoise and the Hare." Note the attire of the human figure and how it places it within a historical, probably European, context. Editor: Like courtly paintings? Curator: Precisely. This creates a deliberate contrast with the caricatured figures of the racing animals embedded within his silhouette. This juxtaposition raises interesting questions about cultural values, doesn't it? Editor: In what sense? Curator: Well, portraiture historically served to immortalize figures of power and prestige. By placing the fable’s tortoise within this established form, Cricorps might be commenting on whose stories are valued and remembered in the grand narrative of history. What do you think about the turtle’s symbolic triumph? Editor: So, like the "underdog" achieving recognition? It flips our expectations about who gets to be the center of attention. Curator: Exactly. The piece seems to play with the traditional power structures within art and broader society. Do you think it speaks to the contemporary social discourse? Editor: Definitely. It makes you think about whose voices we amplify. It's way deeper than just a children's story now. Curator: And that’s the power of art. It prompts us to question established norms and reassess historical narratives. I will keep that in mind moving forward.