Johannes de Doper preekt in de woestijn 1786 - 1808

Editor: This print, "Johannes de Doper preekt in de woestijn," or "John Preaching in the Desert," by Heinrich Guttenberg, after Abraham Bloemaert, dates from around 1786 to 1808 and it looks so staged. I’m fascinated by the contrast between the very earthy, almost vulnerable John the Baptist, and the fashionable onlookers. What story do you see unfolding here? Curator: Ah, an excellent question! It strikes me that we’re peering into a very self-conscious construction of faith and wilderness. Notice the theatrical poses – they’re almost too perfect, aren’t they? Guttenberg, through Bloemaert, I suspect, is inviting us to consider the *performance* of religious devotion. That finely dressed figure, perhaps a merchant, wouldn't look out of place in a theatre box. The bare-chested John seems deliberately positioned in stark contrast, drawing the viewer to assess their divergent roles. Do you think that the location evokes 'the desert' successfully, or is something lost in translation here? Editor: I think it looks more like a clearing in a manicured park, to be honest. Not very convincing as a harsh, desolate place of reflection. Curator: Precisely! And that artificiality, that theatricality, becomes the point, doesn't it? It's less about literal depiction, and more about presenting a tableau where society confronts faith, or at least its presentation of it. The figures seem more absorbed in the drama than genuinely impacted by it. Editor: That’s really interesting! I was so caught up in the landscape and the fashion that I hadn't thought of it that way, but thinking of it as a staged drama opens it up a lot. Curator: Precisely. The frame and inscription solidify this reading - by putting labels on what we're looking at. What starts out as simple description unfolds to reveal layers of commentary. Editor: I definitely have a new appreciation for seeing things as staged dramas now. It kind of blew my mind!