‘la Pièce Curieuse’; An Animal Trainer With Dancing Dogs, A Bear And Monkey 

Curator: Here we have ‘la Pièce Curieuse,’ or ‘The Curious Scene’ painted by Louis Léopold Boilly. I see an animal trainer surrounded by his performing animals. The artist captures the whimsical spectacle of a travelling street performer, probably painted in the late 18th or early 19th century. Editor: What strikes me is the unexpected softness of this scene despite its inherent strangeness! The neutral palette creates an unusual intimacy. Are those dogs really dancing? There's a melancholy here, too; like everyone's putting on a brave face. Curator: It's tempting to ask, who exactly is putting on that brave face, but, looking deeper, Boilly has given each animal its own character. See how the monkey mimics military grandeur, sword awkwardly held. The formality is so hilariously human. Editor: True! And the use of costume cleverly plays with social parody, emphasizing the inherent performativity of social roles, so very theatrical, don't you agree? I mean, what *is* ‘normal’ behaviour really. It feels like Boilly is asking this through the oil on the canvas. It really makes me wonder. What sort of philosophical discussion the people of the day enjoyed as they viewed this piece. Curator: Perhaps… It feels a bit more direct for that if I am honest; almost akin to political caricature than some deep meditation. This piece captures a real tension: on one hand, this joyous entertainment, yet beneath it runs a commentary about our relationship with animals—both exploiting them and seeing ourselves reflected in their antics. What are our motivations in such things? Editor: I appreciate that reading. The juxtaposition highlights an awkward tenderness towards, but, simultaneous dominance, and that pushes my buttons a little! Boilly is clever to keep things ambivalent and avoid judgement, by, if I may say, leaving those judgements to our modern sensibility to see a deeper critique, or merely a comical and light-hearted dance through early-Romantic streets. Curator: Leaving us to consider which truths sit well within us.