Red ons uit de greep van het kwaad 1648

Curator: This engraving by Albert Flamen, dating from 1648, is titled "Red ons uit de greep van het kwaad," which translates to "Deliver us from the clutches of evil." The piece immediately strikes me with its dramatic tension—it feels staged like a morality play. Editor: Staged indeed. Death looms at the bedside with his scythe, while at the other side of the canopy a grotesque devil pushes open the curtains; a corrupt physician waits with a chalice in his hand. Visually, there’s an almost claustrophobic feeling; this tightly-knit ensemble traps the central figure within a nexus of anxieties, which might speak to our powerlessness confronting larger systems and adversities, then and now. Curator: I find your interpretation resonant. The iconography here is striking, the way the artist stages heaven, hell, and mortality, all at once. Do you also find, like I do, that its message is profoundly symbolic of a cultural reckoning with mortality, a kind of visual "memento mori" intended to inspire contemplation on life's fragility, or is it too straightforward? Editor: No, I agree there are clear Vanitas elements—a mother sits with her child, mirroring Mary with baby Jesus. Her inclusion signals both domestic stability and the universal vulnerability of mankind. These symbols ground what otherwise risks becoming high melodrama; even in facing our end, Flamen seems to argue, life, in its quiet intimacy, goes on. The devil is such an obvious figure of disruption. Curator: What I particularly note about the symbolic representation of illness and temptation through that specific representation of medical ‘authority’ is fascinating! Is this, in a way, art offering social commentary? Editor: Undoubtedly. To your point, that ‘healer’ bears a sinister cup, maybe referencing poison or malpractice. The church offered salvation, while medicine...was another realm entirely, filled with dubious practices, available to few. Death here functions almost as a liberator from worldly deceits, inviting us to consider who *truly* holds power over our lives. Curator: Ultimately, Flamen urges the beholder towards careful consideration. His approach is not dogmatic but subtly provocative, sparking debate and self-examination. It certainly did spark mine. Editor: Yes, exactly. We each wrestle with devils and mortal coils in singular fashion. "Deliver us from evil," becomes less a prayer and more an assertion of collective yet individual will.