Aeneas vlucht met zijn familie uit Troje 1518

Curator: Here we have Ugo da Carpi’s “Aeneas fleeing Troy with his Family,” an Italian Renaissance engraving from 1518. Editor: It’s intense, isn’t it? You can almost feel the weight and urgency of the moment. Gray-toned figures leap from the scene as though lifted from a Greek tragedy. The old man looks rather stoic in the shoulders of Aeneas. The poor fellow looks completely depleted from exhaustion. What is happening here? Curator: It illustrates a key moment from Virgil’s "Aeneid.” As Troy burns, Aeneas, son of Venus, carries his elderly father Anchises and leads his young son Ascanius to safety. This image signifies pietas - duty to family, country, and gods. The goddess stands watching on in the shadows of a burning city. Editor: Right. A visual representation of resilience and heritage amid destruction. Note the subtle architectural skyline ablaze and how small it makes our hero feel. And that longing stare from what seems to be the god Aphrodite. Why did da Carpi chose this color and technique? Curator: Chiaroscuro woodcuts, like this engraving, mimic drawings. Ugo da Carpi, pioneered this technique. Through tonal contrasts, he aimed to replicate the effects of light and shadow. Here, it amplifies the drama and heroic resolve against overwhelming loss. The engraving style was common for making cheaper copies for the masses during the Renaissance, which gave new meaning to a once very privileged scene accessible only to a few wealthy people. Editor: This brings an immediate, visceral quality to such themes of loss and duty. He's made tangible the emotional core that continues to resonate even now, so many centuries on. You've got this powerful emotional charge with so much vulnerability. It’s quite potent, really. Curator: Precisely! A visual reminder that even in times of epic turmoil, fundamental values persist and the image transmits its values generation after generation. Editor: What an excellent summary. Now I see new elements within it!