Vader Tijd onthult de Waarheid 1726

Curator: This is Louis Fabritius Dubourg’s 1726 engraving, “Vader Tijd onthult de Waarheid,” held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It's stark! The line work is so precise, it gives the scene an almost hyper-real, if somewhat unsettling, clarity. Curator: Indeed. The Baroque tendency toward allegory is in full force. Time, depicted as a winged, bearded figure, unveils Truth. The scene is also populated by cherubs, one carrying the tools of time, the scythe, the other pointing in guidance, seemingly at the figures emerging. Editor: Time revealing Truth—a powerful and persistent theme. It speaks to the human desire to pierce the veil, to find clarity. The symbol of Father Time is interesting here too: it seems to say Truth may be frightening, the passage of Time is not gentle. Curator: Precisely. There’s a definite tension created by the unveiling. Truth looks almost reluctant, perhaps a bit pained. Her body, so classically rendered, also projects this fragility, in being revealed from shadow. Editor: Absolutely. Her gesture mirrors Father Time’s, but her hand lacks the dynamism, the assuredness that he projects as he peels away what hides her. Curator: The composition directs us towards the action of Truth being revealed. Our eyes start with the cherubs, follow their gesture and line of sight, then rests upon Father Time and Truth. I notice that Time, despite his rather imposing form, looks with deep seriousness toward Truth: almost empathetic in his action. Editor: You are so right! He presents truth with gravity, which makes it even more striking as an emblem. It suggests Truth isn't always welcome or beautiful, or that it often comes with age and the erosion of youthful innocence, like that seen in the cherubs nearby. It's a rather bleak, and quite baroque sentiment. Curator: Dubourg invites the viewer to not only to observe, but to deeply contemplate the nuanced relationships within this allegorical presentation. Editor: Yes. A dense constellation of signs asking us to confront some potentially uneasy associations about time, exposure, and ultimate clarity. A striking vision.