Desseins a Plusieurs Usages Inventés par M. B. Toro 1718

Curator: The visual rhetoric in Jean Bernard Toro's "Desseins a Plusieurs Usages Inventés par M. B. Toro", created around 1718, is immediately striking. There's a dreamlike, almost absurd quality. What do you make of it at first glance? Editor: It feels whimsical, certainly. A procession, or perhaps a chaotic parade. Look at all the figures crammed into such a limited space! What are we to make of the abundance of cupids surrounding a figure in that cart? Curator: It's an engraving, utilizing fine lines to build this scene. Consider the cultural context of early 18th-century France. These kinds of images were designed, in a way, for elite consumption, steeped in allegory. Think about the long shadow cast by Louis XIV, with his love of spectacle and performance. Editor: That tracks. The entire composition hints at hierarchies and power dynamics. Even the artistic decision to use cupids feels loaded; the implication of Eros being available for consumption. Curator: Precisely! Consider the imagery. Musical instruments abound—this motif wasn’t random, the Baroque embraced emotional extravagance. Also the artist wants the viewers to see how all elements interconnect and affect each other. Everything flows, the lines become ornamentation, that again, becomes figuration. It's cyclical, and even quite beautiful! Editor: I read something else in the artist's use of classicism combined with overt playfulness. Could we argue there’s some criticism implied in depicting leadership in such a way, like royalty being pulled on carts by infantile cherubs? A kind of biting commentary against unchecked power? Curator: An interesting proposition! Given the era, open critiques were dangerous, which leads one to argue this more dreamlike, fantastical imagery gives space to explore less direct messages that are encoded with political insight, though certainly the meaning might shift depending on where it hangs. It’s housed in the Met in New York City, it gains new context with a larger collection of visual and art history from cultures beyond the scope of 18th century French Aristocracy. Editor: Absolutely, it shows the constant shift and interplay between symbols over time and place. What once reinforced a system now invites challenge! Curator: Well put! Considering Toro’s artwork here through those lenses gives a far richer appreciation. Thank you for joining me. Editor: The pleasure was all mine. I'm always fascinated by how artwork's messages shift with their viewers!