Scène uit La Gerusalemme Liberata 1745

Curator: This print from 1745, created by Martin Schedel, is titled "Scène uit La Gerusalemme Liberata," or "Scene from Jerusalem Delivered". It's an engraving on paper. Editor: There's such an airy quality to this image, even with all that's happening. The lines are so delicate, almost whimsical despite the serious subject matter implied. Curator: It’s from Tasso’s epic poem, "Jerusalem Delivered". What's interesting here is the framing device, this elaborate floral border that surrounds the central scene, as if to soften or perhaps contain it. Do you see what kinds of patterns are being laid out for us here? Editor: It is like looking through a gilded cage that is almost claustrophobic. The figures feel very staged; all seem to present a virtue that could only be revealed if they are set to perform it by the book, to an audience. It is as if something horrible is waiting to happen and everyone seems to be playing it cool so that what is broken cannot be seen yet. Curator: And within that space, we've got soldiers, tents, hints of a landscape. Schedel seems to be playing with a classic Baroque composition – balancing drama with ornate detail, a narrative both heroic and decorative. What about the symbolism? Does anything jump out at you? Editor: The tents, almost identical, feel like a fragile division, barely able to conceal the imminent clash. There's also a seated figure with what appears to be defeated rival at his feet: the ultimate conquest! So I guess Schedel uses it as a symbol of temporary victory, right before it all begins, the moment that has the flavor of victory but has only one promise: that violence is unavoidable. Curator: Precisely. And that contrast, that visual push and pull between beauty and implied brutality, I find quite striking. Editor: Definitely something worth pondering about in regards to the art of memory. These images leave little clues to be unlocked in future historical circumstances. I find the print much more complex that initially thought. Curator: I agree. Schedel has captured an interesting tension, between surface ornamentation and deeper narratives of conflict. It is just very complex to look into and wonder.