Alcea rosea (have-stokrose) 1649 - 1659

Curator: Oh, this gives me a feeling of being in a quiet, old garden. I just want to sit down right here. Editor: It does have a calming effect, doesn’t it? What we're looking at is a drawing called "Alcea rosea (have-stokrose)", or Hollyhock, created between 1649 and 1659. The artist, Hans Simon Holtzbecker, captured these blooms using colored pencil and gouache. Curator: Holtzbecker really caught the tender stage of life in these stems. You feel like you could gently touch them, especially the buds! The different colours feel symbolic, almost like stages of a life cycle. Editor: Exactly. Colors often act as visual shorthand. The yellow flower might represent the dawn of an idea, full of potential. While the one with both white and pink evokes gentle wisdom and nascent passion. Curator: So beautifully put. But look closely – do you notice anything slightly off? The shadows are there but...well, it lacks a grounded realism, like it’s less observed and more remembered. Is it my eyes playing tricks again? Editor: It might be the slight stylization, fitting for the Northern Renaissance style. Botanical art from this period wasn't always about strict realism. Artists sometimes emphasized ideal forms, which could also be symbolic. Also, the Hollyhock in itself historically represents ambition but it is an ambitious undertaking itself, no? Curator: That adds another layer. So the symbol, then, echoes within the artwork’s *intention.* It's like a mirror reflecting back, and inviting us to question our expectations, whether its how we approach the flower *or* art. Editor: And how flowers can bloom and wilt and bloom once again – if one believes in re-incarnation. Perhaps Holtzbecker saw them as reflections of himself too. Thank you, Holtzbecker, and may this piece bloom on through time.