Still life in a stable 1639 - 1649

Editor: So this is Hendrik Potuyl’s "Still life in a stable," painted sometime between 1639 and 1649. The way the light falls on all these homely objects is quite beautiful. I notice the interior looks rather mundane. What am I missing? What else do you see in this piece? Curator: You know, the mundane *is* often where the magic hides! It's interesting to consider what Potuyl *chose* to elevate here. Look at that humble interior and all of the earthly things. Are those signs of bounty or neglect? Then contrast with the lone figure who may either going up or down that ladder -- how do you see the image? Editor: Going up! But he doesn’t quite fit with the stillness. Maybe he's going for a moment only, like to grab an apple and return. All that said, I do wonder what Potuyl felt. What does this say about *him*? Curator: Ah, a juicy question. I suspect there’s a kind of personal poetics at play, reflecting, as it were, a man very interested in everyday life. Each object carefully arranged speaks, no shouts, its beauty from the texture to its shape. Can you feel it now? Editor: I think I do! So, instead of seeking grand statements, Potuyl found beauty and stories in the simplest settings, finding the poetry of the commonplace. That shifts everything for me, makes me consider my own every day too. Thank you! Curator: Absolutely. And that's the great thing about art. It encourages that gentle noticing. I find I see the ladder and its ascent or descent differently after this too!