Fountain c. 18th century

Curator: Salomon Gessner, a Swiss artist from the 18th century, created this piece, titled "Fountain," now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's utterly serene, a woodland idyll. The eye is led by the trees to the clearing beyond. Curator: Indeed. Note how Gessner employs etching to delineate the textures—the leaves, the stone, the pastoral figures. It functions as a study in contrasting light and shadow. Editor: I love the mischievous satyr head on the fountain. The little figures seem lost in their own worlds, almost daring us to break the spell. Curator: The semiotic arrangement invites decoding. The fountain, a symbol of cultivated nature, contrasts with the wilder, unkempt forest surrounding it. Editor: It’s like a stage set, isn't it? All these figures and objects placed just so. It makes me want to write a poem or a little song about it. Curator: Perhaps the interplay between representation and artifice is at play here. Editor: Well, whatever it is, it's transported me. I'm utterly charmed.