Mercurius met het afgehakte hoofd van Argus 1670 - 1672

Editor: This is Gerard de Lairesse’s “Mercury with the Head of Argus,” made around 1670 in ink and engraving. It has a dramatic, almost operatic feel to it, despite being a fairly small drawing. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: Oh, absolutely operatic! And slightly bonkers, wouldn’t you say? Lairesse really knew how to stage a scene. The dramatic lighting, that swooping figure of Mercury, sword in one hand, Argus's freshly severed head in the other...it’s like Caravaggio directing a puppet show. But what I really love is how he handles the landscape; it is as theatrical as the main event, isn't it? Like a backdrop threatening to swallow everything. What do you make of that severed head, nonchalantly displayed? Editor: It's definitely... striking. Gruesome, but also like a prop, as you say. Does the landscape have symbolic value, beyond being dramatic? Curator: I think it's both stage and symbol. Baroque art loves a bit of moralizing, doesn't it? The untamed landscape, the fall of Argus – perhaps a comment on the dangers of unchecked power, or the seductive deceitfulness of appearances, brought by Mercury’s cunning? He wasn't exactly forthright about his intentions toward Argus, was he? But then, is anything in art straightforward? It also reveals what happens if we fail at our duties. It is pretty profound for just a simple drawing. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. I was so focused on the figure, I almost missed that wider point. It is quite captivating when we put it that way. I think I need to spend some more time letting the whole scene sink in! Curator: Exactly! Let it simmer, let it surprise you. That's half the fun. Thanks for pointing out Lairesse, it made me look at this artwork under a new light too.