The Thermometer 1823

Editor: Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps' "The Thermometer," created as an etching in 1823, gives such an immediate impression of a bustling city street scene! The crowd gathered together evokes such warmth. I am especially curious to hear how you interpret it. Curator: Well, immediately, I'm drawn to the implied narrative. Isn't it intriguing how Decamps invites us to construct our own story around this small moment? Who are these people? What are they looking at so intently? It feels theatrical, doesn't it? And have you noticed how the lone figure on the left is almost entirely separated, cloaked in shadow, almost like he is existing outside the current scene? Editor: Absolutely. There's definitely a staged quality. Is that sense of theatre typical for art of this period? Curator: In a way. Decamps was working during the rise of Romanticism. There’s a dramatic flair that's often associated with that movement—but there is also an interest in capturing the everyday life, so there is almost a blending of grandeur and of mundanity at play here. What strikes you most about the composition? Editor: The contrast between the busy crowd and that lone figure, definitely. They emphasize each other, that small collective moment on display for the cold detached urban environment, you know? Like a story within a story, or the individual amidst the collective experience... Curator: Beautifully said! And the animals? The dogs seem unconcerned, almost mirroring the aloofness of the solitary man. Perhaps it's a comment on different levels of society and detachment within the modernizing city. A dog might as well be a detached human, lost in his own concerns in that era. Editor: It adds a layer of complexity. Thanks, I never would have seen that! Curator: My pleasure! Isn't it amazing how a seemingly simple scene can contain such layers of meaning once you really start to unravel it?