Untitled (chimps playing piano and drums) c. 1950

Curator: Jack Gould's small black and white photograph, held at the Harvard Art Museums, pictures chimpanzees playing musical instruments; it's titled, simply, "Untitled (chimps playing piano and drums)." Editor: My first thought is the overwhelming melancholy. Despite the playful subject, there's a certain flatness, emphasized by the gray scale and geometric backdrop. Curator: Note how the chimp in the zebra-striped shirt mimics human activity. The image perhaps speaks to our persistent desire to project our own behaviors, and perhaps our aspirations, onto the animal kingdom. Editor: I am drawn to the composition, particularly the stark contrast between the organic curve of the piano and the chimpanzee and the rigid lines of the background. It introduces a tension. Curator: The image raises interesting questions about performance, entertainment, and the cultural narratives we construct around animals. It speaks to a kind of spectacle and the commodification of nature. Editor: Indeed. Examining the formal elements, the photographer captures a certain stillness that belies the implied action of the performance. Curator: Ultimately, it is a photograph that, regardless of its original intention, now carries layers of complex meaning. Editor: It gives us a lot to think about, doesn't it?