The Curious One
Medium
oil on paper mounted to canvas
Dimensions
{"unframed":{"height":0.435,"width":0.346}}
Classification
Painting
Department
Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Noah L. Butkin
Accession Number
1977.116
Tags
About this artwork
Here a young man uses a ladder to climb over a garden wall. The sign at his right translates into "School for Young Ladies under the Direction of Mrs. Wachsam"—wachsam being the German word for "watchful." Apparently, overcome by curiosity, the man cannot resist his desire to see the young women concealed behind the wall. Scenes with amorous, sometimes voyeuristic overtones are common in the work of Mongin. The artist also seems fascinated with depicting the exact details of his settings. In 182...