Drie karpers op een rivieroever 1664

Curator: Albert Flamen's "Three Carps on a Riverbank," dating back to 1664, presents us with an intriguing study of, well, three carps. Editor: Oh my, there's something melancholic about this image. The fish appear… lifeless, beached and gazing into some unknown space. It's more of a memento mori than a celebration of life. Curator: Precisely! Flamen wasn't merely documenting the fish; it's an engraving, carefully etched to explore textures and light, all those little lines… Can you imagine the labor that goes into this? Each scale defined, almost scientifically. Editor: It does make you think about the artistry. Considering the artist would be relying on natural materials. You also need the tools—the plates, the inks. The entire system behind making such an artwork… it adds another layer to my initial reaction. Curator: Yes, Baroque naturalism intertwined with the artist's sensibility. These fish are both objects of study and subjects imbued with, yes, a sense of melancholy. It strikes me that Flamen is looking to nature but through a philosophical lens, turning humble creatures into symbols. Editor: It's interesting you use the word "humble". We now consider the process and the artist more, thinking of how all those stages affect how we see it now. I'm considering this print less like a display of skilled artistry and a commercial object. I’m also thinking that the artist must have known fishers? And, from those fishers, did he find this…stillness, a particular stillness that he immortalised? Curator: Oh, I love the thought! A kind of conversation, isn't it? Between the fishermen, Flamen's skill, and what the material of his work holds now. Almost like echoes across time, these carps, carefully etched, and these layers become intertwined with each others' past and their afterlife in art. Editor: Definitely gives a new level of appreciation, thinking beyond the scales.