Torero, from World's Dudes series (N31) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have "Torero," a coloured-pencil drawing and print made around 1888 by Allen & Ginter, as part of their World’s Dudes series for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. It's quite charming, and I am immediately struck by the subject's attire - the ornate costume appears far more intriguing than the bull in the background. What is your interpretation of this piece, focusing on its form and materiality? Curator: The Torero figure immediately strikes the eye through colour, line and form. We can observe a distinct emphasis on the material culture represented - the elaborate costume with its heavily textured fabric, juxtaposed against the rather plain depiction of the bull and landscape elements, indicates an effort to create visual tension and hierarchy. What function would you ascribe to that tension? Editor: Perhaps to highlight the status or the importance of the Torero relative to the bull? Is the visual emphasis related to something about formalist design in pieces like this one? Curator: Precisely. Note how the chromatic intensity of the red cape, the golden epaulettes and decorative elements converge at the Torero, which draw our eye away from the somewhat subdued bull. Such emphasis is no accident. Formally, it uses compositional devices to assert a certain order. We may understand this “World’s Dudes” series through close consideration of line and plane. Editor: That's fascinating. It's amazing how much can be gleaned just by looking at the artistic choices made, such as how and where the colours were applied, to create a hierarchy. Thank you for illuminating the structure of the artwork. Curator: Indeed. I find that looking closely at an artwork's intrinsic qualities opens avenues of interpreting what it communicates.