Onvruchtbaarheid 1533 - 1567

Editor: We're looking at "Onvruchtbaarheid," or "Infertility," an engraving by Enea Vico, made sometime between 1533 and 1567. The figure seems to be almost... driving that poor donkey into the ground. What is this image really telling us? Curator: It’s a powerful image, isn’t it? Note the inscription "Hac infoecundo nullum adit corpore fructum," which roughly translates to "From this barren body, no fruit will come forth." It firmly anchors the scene within the allegorical language of the period. Look at the cracked and barren tree behind the figure—what does that evoke for you? Editor: A sense of hopelessness, of something that *should* be alive but isn't. Is it common for artists of this era to depict abstract concepts in human form like this? Curator: Absolutely. This print speaks volumes about the cultural anxieties surrounding fertility in the Renaissance. The figure embodies infertility, wielding a whip atop a donkey, itself a symbol often linked to stubbornness or foolishness. These aren't just random elements, they carry centuries of symbolic weight. Think of how cultures remember and process ideas through commonly understood visual cues. What feelings do these cues trigger in you? Editor: A discomfort, definitely. Knowing that these images were meant to provoke reactions about social anxieties, it makes me wonder what other loaded symbols I'm missing when I view older artwork. Curator: Precisely! It’s a process of layered understanding. This engraving isn’t just a picture; it’s a concentrated dose of cultural memory. Editor: This really changes how I see the role of prints like this during the Renaissance. It was more than just decoration; it was a form of communication.