Fantastische fontein met een visser en een jager en honden in gevecht met een das before 1595
print, engraving
baroque
old engraving style
fantasy-art
mannerism
figuration
form
11_renaissance
history-painting
engraving
Dimensions: height 246 mm, width 183 mm
Copyright: Rijks Museum: Open Domain
Editor: Here we have Wendel Dietterlin's "Fantastic Fountain with a Fisherman and a Hunter and Dogs Fighting a Badger," a print from before 1595. It's incredibly intricate, almost chaotic, in its detail. There’s so much happening in the image. How do you interpret this work? Curator: This piece is so rich with cultural meaning! Let’s unpack it. The Mannerist style reflects a society grappling with shifts in power and religious upheavals. Consider the fountain itself – not merely a source of water but a performative display of wealth and dominion. Who is entitled to such an ostentatious demonstration? Editor: I see what you mean. It’s definitely excessive! So, the fountain as a symbol of power? Curator: Precisely! The hunting scene speaks to the control of nature, further highlighting themes of social hierarchy. Think about the representation of animals: are they simply decorative, or do they reflect societal anxieties about the wild versus the civilized, the noble versus the common? Editor: That’s a perspective I hadn’t considered. It's not just about the hunt, but about taming the natural world to reflect dominance. What would you say is Dietterlin's point in making such art? Curator: He uses Mannerism to represent power struggles. His goal is less to glorify but to open up an artistic space of excess and artistic licence, almost beyond comprehension. Who and what are worthy to receive all this abundance, to have everything on display? What, then, does abundance represent in a class and race context? Editor: It completely changes how I see it! Now it is like it embodies so many issues we still grapple with. Curator: Right! By connecting these historical contexts with contemporary social issues, we reveal the enduring power dynamics embedded within the work. I learned today from our collaboration that our work together matters so that more people consider art a call for dialogue.
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