Panchrestographie & Poecilographie 1604

Editor: So, this intricate print is called "Panchrestographie & Poecilographie," made in 1604 by Jean de Beaugrand. It’s currently housed at The Met. It's… a whole page filled with swooshes and loops that resolve into letterforms; like calligraphy as abstract art, or alphabet soup for the sophisticated soul. What do you see here, beyond just beautiful penmanship? Curator: Beyond the flourishes, which I must admit, hold me captive… I see a yearning for a universal language. Beaugrand, bless his ambitious heart, was trying to create a writing system for all nations. Isn't that the most delightfully quixotic thing you’ve ever heard? Like tilting at windmills made of ink. Look at how each letter attempts to transcend its mere utilitarian purpose, dancing on the page. Do you notice how the forms seem both precise and liberated, contained yet overflowing? Editor: Absolutely, they feel balanced and free flowing all at once. Did his "universal language" ever take off? Curator: Sadly, no. Though the effort wasn’t entirely futile: the pursuit of such a thing is where the poetry lies. We still reach for connection through symbols. It speaks to a very human desire to communicate beyond borders. Don't you think art at its best does the same? Editor: Definitely. I hadn't considered the ambition behind this seemingly simple page of lettering. I guess beauty can have a purpose beyond aesthetics. Curator: Precisely. And sometimes the grandest failures illuminate more brightly than the most modest successes.