Tabaksnuivend en -rokend gezelschap 1733 - 1797

Editor: Here we have "Tabaksnuivend en -rokend gezelschap," or "Company Taking Tobacco" by Pierre François Basan, dating roughly from 1733 to 1797. It's an etching and engraving, a print depicting three figures indulging in tobacco. There's a strange intimacy to it, almost repulsive, yet somehow compelling. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Oh, it's wonderfully grim, isn't it? Like a hangover captured in ink. The artist's choice of rendering these gentlemen, well, let’s just say he wasn't trying to win any beauty contests. Notice how Basan uses the etching and engraving techniques. The contrast is masterfully created; they seem almost trapped between pleasure and the peculiar pain only tobacco can deliver. It’s less about idealised beauty and more about the raw, unfiltered moments of daily life. Almost theatrical in their self-absorption, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely, there’s nothing romanticized about it! The fellow with the drink looks particularly wretched. It’s quite different from the grand portraits we often see from the Baroque era. Was this type of genre scene common at the time? Curator: Good eye! You’re picking up on its departure from the norm. While Baroque portraiture often celebrated power and elegance, scenes like these offer a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people, even the less flattering aspects. It is almost comically baroque and deeply introspective all at once. You have to wonder what commentary Basan aimed to evoke with this unpolished portrayal. Editor: So it's offering a sort of counter-narrative? That’s fascinating. Curator: Precisely! A delightful subversion. Editor: Well, I will not look at Baroque the same way ever again! Thanks! Curator: The pleasure was mine. Art always has more stories than initially meet the eye.