In a Roman Osteria

This Classical Art Meme kept showing up in my social media and a strange thing happened.

Each time I looked at it, I'd spot another detail. As I did, I started to ponder the painting. In particular the question of the role of the viewer.

It seems like the viewer is put into the role of someone flirting with the two young women and who will now have to deal with their male companion.

You'll notice he is armed when you spot the knife handle sticking out of his pocket.

Yesterday when I searched for the original painting by Carl Bloch and it was interesting to learn the artwork is a kind of remix of Wilhelm Marstrand's painting of another Italian Osteria Scene. Marstrand was one of Bloch's teachers.

Another interesting detail in Bloch's artwork is that the patron who commissioned the painting, Moritz G. Melchior, is shown in the background. I'd also been wondering what brief Melchior gave Bloch. Did he say "I'd like a painting like Marstrand's one with the pretty Italian girls"? Or maybe "I'd like a painting where, when I look at it, I feel like I'm desired by young women."

Anyway, one final comment is that I think Bloch's remix is an improvement on the original and it's not just the inclusion of a cat -- although I think that was a very savvy move.