A Fury Riding on a Monster 1700 - 1800

Editor: Here we have "A Fury Riding on a Monster," a pencil drawing from around the 18th century, created by an unknown artist and housed here at the Met. I'm struck by the almost frantic energy of the lines. It’s as though the artist was racing to capture this imagined scene. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, looking at the pencilwork, it prompts several questions. What type of pencil was available then? How accessible and affordable was quality drawing paper at this time? These details point to a possible patronage or the artist's social standing. The very act of depicting such a fantastical scene reflects certain cultural attitudes. Editor: So, you're thinking about the *materials* as social signifiers? Curator: Exactly. This wasn’t mass-produced. Each line, each shading decision, speaks to the labor and material conditions that shaped its creation. It makes you wonder about the availability of artistic training, too, if they had to pay fees. What workshops were prevalent in that period that an artist might've had access to? These workshops directly affected style and distribution networks. Editor: That's interesting; I hadn't considered the "how" so much as the "why" behind the imagery. I mean, it depicts, quite literally, a rageful figure atop some kind of beast! Curator: And thinking materially about the production of monstrous figures in art...consider it as a way of working through societal anxieties of a specific era, right? Or might this have been conceived to appeal to certain patrons looking for the exotic? Editor: It's almost like the monster itself is a commodity. Curator: Precisely! The image’s journey is intrinsically tied to market demand, artistic skill, and societal perception of "monsters" - be they political, social, or personal demons made manifest in pencil and paper. Editor: This gives me a fresh perspective. I see now how deeply embedded material conditions are to the art. Thanks for opening my eyes to this. Curator: My pleasure. Hopefully, people will appreciate art beyond face value.