Drie mannentorso's 1668 - 1671

Jan de Bisschop created this print called ‘Three Male Torsos’ sometime in the mid-17th century, using etching. In Bisschop’s time, the Dutch Golden Age, there was a burgeoning interest in science, commerce, and art. Bisschop, a lawyer by trade, was part of this new intellectual class. The print reflects the period’s fascination with the classical world, with the male form idealized and presented as the epitome of beauty. The bodies, however, are devoid of heads and arms. Rather than seeing these torsos as incomplete, consider the parts of the body Bisschop chose to portray. The male torso becomes a landscape to be mapped, studied, and known. In rendering these torsos, Bisschop invites viewers into a world of aesthetic and intellectual exploration. It's a dance between control and abandon, where classical ideals meet the complex realities of human form.