Stående bueskytte, profil mod højre 1575

Editor: Here we have Melchior Lorck's "Standing Archer, Profile to the Right," created around 1575. It's a woodcut, engraving and print. There is something serene but imposing about his figure that stands out. What do you see when you look at it? Curator: Serene, yes, but with a powerful undertow! Imagine yourself transported back to the 16th century; Europe was riveted by tales of the Ottoman Empire. Lorck himself served as a Danish envoy to the court of Suleiman the Magnificent in Istanbul. He observed this culture firsthand and he gifted the Western imagination with his observations through images like this. The level of detail that woodcut offers for depicting textures, in his turban for instance, fascinates me to no end! Editor: So, it's not just an archer, but almost like a...historical document? A little like photojournalism of the time. Curator: Exactly! Look how carefully he renders the archer's garb: the quiver overflowing with arrows, the curve of the bow. He’s offering us, as it were, both a portrait *and* a cultural study. But beyond that, the very *act* of representing the “other” is itself an interesting mirror, no? How do *we* perceive the unfamiliar? What narratives are *we* weaving? Editor: It makes you think about perspective. Curator: Precisely! The image asks as many questions of us as it answers about its subject. It prompts you to look deeper. Perhaps there is the seed for a whole course of thought! Editor: Thanks. I will definitely reflect on that! It changed how I see the image.