Still Life with Dead Birds 1676

Editor: Right, next up we have Johann Heinrich Roos’s *Still Life with Dead Birds*, painted in oil back in 1676. It’s currently hanging in the Städel Museum. Honestly, it's a bit morbid, but the textures of the feathers are incredible. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: Morbid, maybe. Truthful, absolutely. It reminds me of winter mornings in the countryside. Think about the Dutch Baroque period – life was often a stark contrast of plenty and scarcity, feasting and famine. And isn't Roos reflecting on that duality, too? Consider the composition, almost like a pyramid with the birds forming a descending hierarchy from fowl to the smaller birds on the bottom tier. Editor: That's a cool way to look at it. I was just thinking about death, but the idea of social hierarchy is much more interesting. Curator: Exactly! Roos’s not simply painting dead birds; he’s making a statement, asking, perhaps, about our place in the world and who gets to be at the top and bottom. Doesn’t the painting evoke that for you now? I imagine that some people would be looking forward to eating while others would be horrified. Editor: It does, especially the way those birds are displayed almost like trophies. It's unsettling and impressive at the same time. Curator: Unsettling and impressive - perfectly captured! I find myself wondering, each time I see it, what Roos himself truly believed. Did he view this with sorrow or simply acceptance? Maybe both, layered like those meticulously rendered feathers. Editor: It definitely gives you something to think about. I’ll never look at a still life the same way again! Curator: Wonderful, then we’ve truly connected with it! On to the next!