Hidden, Odd Actions in Empty Spaces

JF Ptak Science Books LLC  Post 293

This engraving (on copper) of an interior of a structure houses
some interesting perspective, as well as a very unusual pose by one of the four gentleman who were added to the image to give a sense of depth and scale.  I've written earlier about such hidden artistic virtues and micro-sub-arts, and this print fits nicely for its naive oddness of character placement.

One just has to wonder what in the world the artist had in mind by placing this figure in such an uncommon stance?  I cannot remember seeing a three-square hat like this looking at it straight on from the top; more important, though, is what is this fellow doing?  I'd suspect measuring, but under very close inspection he's holding nothing at all in his hands.  Also that unit of measurement would be pretty short for a job measuring a room such as this.
So:  what is he doing?

Comments

[Jeff]

Clearly, the man is doing Pilates, and the man with the outsized hand is his instructor. It's easy to go from Pilates to an S&M scenario, and to intuit meaning in the frighteningly large hand, but then we have to understand the measuring stick on the floor, and my dark vision falls apart. I guess they are architects inspecting construction when it's too late to change anything. Or maybe the glass roof is leaking. Buckminster Fuller should've seen this picture before foisting the geodesic dome on generations of beatniks and hippies. I suppose the gentlemen in the picture could be interior designers, if only because of the hats, although the room is rather spare and obviously in need of attention.

[John Ptak]

You're a very funny man, Mr. D. Maybe this WAS an early form of pilates...Pontius Pilates to be exact. And you're right about Bucky, especially since these guys were about life-size, so he would've fit in nicely (he was only about two inches tall in real life...how else do you explain all of that crouchin'-around space in those dome?)