The Calumny of Apelles 1729 - 1742

Editor: This is "The Calumny of Apelles" by Charles Nicolas Cochin l’aîné, an intriguing print housed at the Harvard Art Museums. The composition feels very staged, almost theatrical, and the figures are so expressive! What catches your eye in this piece? Curator: The formal structure is quite deliberate. Note the receding plane, established through careful control of line and form. Each figure is rendered with precise anatomical detail. The linear perspective and the arrangement of bodies directs the viewer's gaze to the implied narrative, even without prior knowledge. Editor: So, the artist uses form to tell a story? Curator: Precisely. The formal elements create a visual architecture that supports the allegorical subject. Editor: I see that now. It is like a stage! Thank you. Curator: My pleasure.