Gideon Chooses 300 Soldiers 

Curator: Dore’s “Gideon Chooses 300 Soldiers” – a flurry of ink and engraving – feels to me like a dream half-remembered, a fable flickering on the edge of sleep. It's like looking into a storm cloud, searching for shapes and meaning within its turbulent depths. Editor: It's interesting you describe it that way. Dore is known for narrative pieces. What stands out to you in this one? Curator: What grips me is that landscape. Dore wasn't just illustrating a scene; he was conjuring a world, thick with atmosphere and mood. Look at those horizontal lines in the sky – the landscape looks less like it has form, and more like it is being shaped like waves as in a sea, by some omnipotent, divine gesture. Have you considered how much this scene seems set on the brink of revelation? What feelings does that evoke in you? Editor: It is kind of unsettling to observe so many people ready for battle as in the blink of any eye God would make up His mind... It is also wild how those chosen few, lapping like dogs, that this image alludes to, becomes an allegory for something! The fact is Dore captures it all. And all so poetically! Curator: Yes! To me, the real genius lies in how Dore takes this quite literal biblical scene, then transforms it. He invites you to consider ideas bigger than the battle – questioning leadership, dedication. It feels less like a history lesson and more like a timeless meditation, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely. The details almost dissolve into symbolism – this almost feels as though the viewer needs to be involved as well and make sense of the many metaphors. Thanks; this piece made me really think. Curator: It has been a pleasure to me as well to try to bring forth its metaphors.