Melpomene and Thalia 1823 - 1826

Editor: This is “Melpomene and Thalia,” a print made sometime between 1823 and 1826 by Johann Gottfried Schadow. They both look like Roman goddesses, cold and imposing. What strikes you most when you look at this drawing? Curator: Oh, this print feels like a whispered secret from another time, doesn’t it? The sisters, Muses of tragedy and comedy – they’re captured with such neoclassical precision, almost like unearthed statues staring back at us. I am struck by the delicacy and subtle emotion portrayed by Schadow in what appears to be a reproduction print. Tell me, do you sense any hint of warmth breaking through their stony facades? Editor: I see what you mean, the texture does look a bit like stone. It’s just the way their faces are drawn; the expressions are a little severe, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Perhaps, but consider the context: Neoclassicism prized order and reason above all else. There is this yearning for an idealized past. Do you think Schadow captured that? Or did something else sneak in? Editor: I suppose that's there, but it also seems almost too perfect. Like the expressions don't quite capture the human spirit. Curator: Absolutely, this idealized vision can feel... distant, can’t it? Like we’re glimpsing figures from a dream, just out of reach. Now I’m wondering what Schadow truly felt about these figures beyond artistic choices and conventions. Editor: It makes you think about what the artist was trying to say versus what comes across. It's much more nuanced than just a historical record. Curator: Precisely. And maybe, in that tension, the true art resides. Something that speaks to both the ages and our own flawed hearts. It certainly gave me plenty to consider.