Les fêtes vénitiennes 1759 - 1780

Curator: Today we're looking at "Les fêtes vénitiennes", or "Venetian festivals", a Rococo watercolor and ink drawing by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, likely created between 1759 and 1780. Its current home is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My first impression is of something ephemeral, like a memory fading at the edges. Editor: Ephemeral is spot on. The wash technique lends itself to that. Look at the architecture – the columns framing the central stage, the rhythmic arcades – all are sketched, permeable. This drawing embodies a studied artlessness. But what does it reflect about artistic labor? Curator: Certainly, the apparent casualness masks Saint-Aubin's keen observation of Venetian festival life. Consider how the eye travels – from the flurry of figures in the foreground up to the staged performance. He deftly captures social theater using line, color, and compositional strategy. The Rococo loved theatricality as a symbolic gesture, a metaphor for life, where society itself played a grand performance of elegance. Editor: Indeed. This wasn’t the view from afar of the bourgeoisie but the experience. The quick, flowing ink lines, and transparent color washes seem designed to replicate the fast paced production schedules. I find it really interesting how the luxury implied by the subject, the festivities, almost clash with the medium here, the affordability of the material makes it democratic. Curator: Interesting contrast. The artist skillfully handles the transparency of the watercolor. It adds to the fleeting, almost dream-like quality of the scene. Light isn't depicted as illuminating specific objects; instead, the buildings seem to emit light of their own through strategic shading. It reminds me of set design, emphasizing illusion and spectacle. Editor: In a way, Saint-Aubin captured both the spectacle and the process through which the spectacle happens, hinting at labor practices via the medium itself. It's interesting to me, for instance, to see the quick lines used as guides, which gives it almost a sketch-like character, showcasing the steps needed for a more elaborate and traditionally lauded composition. Curator: An artwork can unveil complexity that defies its apparent informality and light mood, as we discussed. Editor: I agree, there is indeed more at play here.