Frets, from Chippendale Drawings, Vol. II 1754

Curator: Right now we are standing in front of “Frets, from Chippendale Drawings, Vol. II,” a print made circa 1754, now residing here at The Met. Thomas Chippendale gave us a blueprint of geometric elegance! What’s catching your eye here? Editor: It feels so austere at first glance! These straight lines and geometric shapes are orderly, controlled even, a cool counterpoint to the excesses I imagine in some Baroque drawing rooms. Curator: "Cool" is such a perfect word, and “austerity” is the heart of Baroque—look at the linear purity, a conscious turning away from frivolous detail, but for what higher purpose? I'd even go out on a limb and say there’s a longing for classicism in there somewhere... Editor: Hmmm…maybe! I immediately see the symbols of power and control that this represents. Are these “frets,” repeated motifs to reinforce the values and ideology in the house and garden for visitors? It's architecture, designed and constructed. Curator: Definitely a fascinating perspective! In his drawings, the repeating pattern feels very controlled. And, as ornamental as it appears on paper, in real life this pattern might just signal good taste… or a sort of refined and calculated aesthetic statement to a visitor. Editor: It’s almost as if we could find psychological associations with it. Think of geometric shapes. They’ve acquired meaning over millennia. Triangles evoke the mystical, circles speak of completion. Even something as simple as a line possesses meaning when an artist repeats it deliberately and regularly. Curator: And by controlling line and form, Chippendale seems to wrestle that sense of timeless symbolic import out into his present. Very nice observation about drawing on geometric fundamentals! I think there's a conversation on power playing out—through order and pattern. Editor: Well, I still see control in these patterns; though one might see power, these geometric figures stand for universal order. And those clean, crisp lines almost feel like an attempt to restrain any lurking chaos. Almost! Thank you for helping to unlock what it means to the artist's intention. Curator: It’s my pleasure; as usual I walk away having learned something—thanks to the insight on the language and geometry and universal forms. That tension gives these shapes their spark, I believe!