Venus 1566 - 1569

Curator: Look at this intriguing 16th-century engraving by Harmen Jansz. Muller, titled "Venus." It's held here at the SMK. Editor: My first impression is one of overflowing… everything! It’s like a dream packed to the brim with figures. Venus, so muscular, sits atop her chariot in the clouds. But what are we really looking at? Curator: It's classic Mannerism, all artifice and complex symbolism. The print, made sometime between 1566 and 1569, seems to be an allegory about love, pleasure, and indulgence. Venus, of course, embodies those themes. But you’re right; that musculature is quite exaggerated for a supposed representation of ideal beauty. It challenges our notions about how these classic stories are visually told and understood. Editor: Absolutely. I can't help but wonder about Muller’s workshop, about the apprentices who worked on such intricately detailed plates, and even the paper. It wasn’t simply about individual genius. Who had the wealth to support the creation and distribution of engravings like this? Who bought and cherished it? You get a sense that printmaking brought those subjects closer to people. I love to look at all those entangled, earthly bodies… how does that connect to the Venus on the clouds? Curator: Yes, that contrast is essential! In the lower half, you have revelry, banquets, and earthly pleasures. But above, you’re faced with divine power, driven by Cupid. Muller shows us the world Venus creates, but he doesn't idealize it. Editor: It strikes me that each line engraved on this plate demanded so much deliberate labor. How did he choose this design to translate to print? Considering each decision helps connect us back to not only the intent, but how people approached love in material, consumable forms at this time. How wild is it to create an object about ‘Venus’ in contrast to love as an idea, as well as Venus made material through metal and ink… It creates a loop, you know? Curator: I hadn't considered that. Perhaps, in a world so driven by material things, Muller suggests something of a feedback loop for how one pursues pleasure in art as a reflection. Editor: Right! Makes me rethink how I relate with desire in my life, even now. Thanks, Venus and Harmen Jansz. Muller, for the mind-bend.