Entrance to a Forest c. 1772

Editor: This is Jean Jacques de Boissieu’s "Entrance to a Forest," and the etching feels like a scene from a fairytale. What symbols jump out at you? Curator: The forest itself is potent. Beyond its obvious nature, the forest is a traditional symbol of the unconscious. Do you see how the riders disappear into the trees? Editor: So, the forest is a space for both journey and loss of self? Curator: Precisely! And the figures near the cottage seem to be enacting some ritual. How do you interpret the figures clustered there? Editor: I hadn't considered ritual. It makes me rethink the piece entirely. Curator: The image certainly invites us to reflect on what we project onto it.