Harlequins violinists hidden 1944

Editor: This is "Harlequins Violinists Hidden," painted by Ossip Zadkine in 1944, using watercolor and oil paint. There's a somber tone here, perhaps amplified by the masks and the somewhat muted colors. How do you interpret this work, especially given the time it was created? Curator: This painting is far more than just a genre scene. In 1944, Zadkine was in exile in France during the Nazi occupation. Harlequins, traditionally figures of mockery and subversive comedy, are here muted, perhaps representing the silenced voices of dissent during wartime. Note how their faces are obscured; is this to hide their identity in a dangerous time, or a comment on lost identity because of the occupation? Editor: I hadn't considered the context of the war and exile. The harlequins' masks do feel less about playful disguise and more about protection, or even oppression. Are they “hiding,” as the title suggests, from external forces? Curator: Exactly. Consider too that the act of making music – often a symbol of harmony and community – is “hidden.” The potential for joyous expression is stifled. The violinists, through their masked visages and the painting's overall sombre palette, invite questions regarding artistic freedom and expression in the face of censorship and political strife. Does seeing the historical context shift how you engage with its visual choices? Editor: Definitely. I was initially focused on the visual style, the cubist influences perhaps, but understanding the context of its creation, especially the occupation, reveals a deeper layer of meaning that's directly at odds with my original sense of a general, perhaps even festive, “genre painting”. It's a powerful testament to art as resistance. Curator: Indeed. By situating the harlequins, figures traditionally associated with festivity, within this oppressive historical context, Zadkine powerfully reclaims and weaponizes a historical art form for social commentary and protest.