Dido 1750 - 1793

Curator: Here we have "Dido," an etching and engraving by Louis Marin Bonnet, created sometime between 1750 and 1793. Look closely at the texture achieved through the printmaking process. Editor: She appears caught in a tragic, upward gaze, a silent scream perhaps? All those tiny lines give a delicate almost velvety feel... a somber mood, overall. Curator: Bonnet masterfully utilizes line work in the service of neoclassical aesthetics, though hints of romanticism seep through as well. The hatching gives the figure volume while grounding her in the materiality of ink on paper. Notice her pearl necklace and elaborate headwear... objects of wealth and status. Editor: Indeed, there is something vulnerable there despite the trappings of power and station, like she’s weary of the game or perhaps burdened by its price...The cross hatching definitely conveys an intensity. Makes me think of the labor that goes into mourning too. Curator: It's fascinating how Bonnet balances those competing artistic movements within a single print. The figure’s very manufacture relied on skilled labor to create an object for elite consumption... This particular piece finds its home at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: You're right, knowing about the printmaking, the intention... I am now seeing it less romantically, less emotional in the personal way, more of a staged emotion, perhaps as spectacle and lesson... almost like a propoganda poster. Curator: Perhaps Bonnet wanted to provoke that exact ambiguity? What could have been understood at that moment, for who, and in the service of what cause or patron is left somewhat obscure, or is it? Editor: Well, either way, you’ve given me a completely different way to consider it now.