Melpomene en Thalia 1728

This small print, ‘Melpomene en Thalia’, in the Rijksmuseum, is made by an anonymous artist. It is a symphony of delicate lines, forming a scene framed by elaborate ornamentation. The composition invites us to consider the interplay between the muses of tragedy and comedy, Melpomene and Thalia. Yet the primary focus isn't the muses themselves, but the elaborate Rococo frame, brimming with symbolic objects. Note the theatrical masks, musical instruments, and foliage, each meticulously rendered. This creates a visual structure in which the frame and the framed image compete for our attention. What does this structural choice suggest? Perhaps it challenges the traditional hierarchy between subject and ornament, or questions the very nature of representation. The artist uses a semiotic system of signs to explore the cultural codes of theatre. Does this piece destabilize established meanings, prompting us to reconsider our understanding of art's function?