Minerva 1816 - 1833

Curator: Wow, this is unexpectedly gentle. It has a surprising delicacy, considering the subject. Editor: We are looking at “Minerva,” a drawing by Roelof van der Meulen, created sometime between 1816 and 1833. It’s currently housed here at the Rijksmuseum. It embodies the Neoclassical style, showcasing the Roman goddess of wisdom, warfare, and crafts. I wonder how it positions Minerva within the socio-political landscape of the time. Curator: Well, she appears almost floating on clouds, a shield with Medusa at her side, her owl perched just there... The artist has given us a figure both ethereal and strong. What statements do you think the artist wanted to make by choosing these symbolic props? Editor: Right, the visual vocabulary here is so rich. The Medusa on her shield as a patriarchal tool. Owls can stand for academic institutions that try to reinforce or justify the social or political statu quo. The clouds where she sits representing how divorced political leaders and academic elites are from the general populace. I think the choice to portray Minerva like this tells us how the figure can become associated with or corrupted by institutions. Curator: Or… Maybe that is exactly what one is looking for. The wisdom and strategic thought that these figures bring to politics, if they are well founded. Editor: Possibly. And speaking of founding things, the use of drawing, especially pencil, can feel very intimate, like the artist's thoughts are directly imprinted on the paper. How does that medium affect your interpretation? Curator: It feels like a personal study, not so much an official statement. There is a sense of process here. In a way, you are watching Van der Meulen work through how *he* sees Minerva. More philosophical meditation. Editor: True. It does have a searching quality about it. And I suppose we are left doing our own searching. It strikes me that works like this offer us an anchor for contemplating how power, knowledge, and identity intersect. Curator: Yes. An elegant mirror held up to the complexities, don’t you think? It will remain one for centuries.