Augustus c. 1560 - 1595

Editor: We're looking at "Augustus" by Julius Goltzius, made sometime between 1560 and 1595. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum, a black and white engraving offering a surprisingly peaceful pastoral scene. It almost feels like eavesdropping on a moment in time. What captures your attention most in this work? Curator: Eavesdropping is right, a perfect word. For me, it's the way Goltzius mixes this almost hyper-real detail in the foreground – you can practically feel the weight of the worker's slumbering head – with this expansive landscape. Do you see how that detailed foreground pulls you into a seemingly boundless world? The overall effect feels very Mannerist, wouldn't you agree? The figures are placed just so, in slightly artificial arrangements. But isn’t it fascinating how everyday activities can take on monumental significance with art? It encourages this really pensive outlook, inviting us to contemplate what they thought while they are at their labor, what will happen after their respite, their lives away from prying eyes. Editor: That makes so much sense. And you're right, the figures do feel posed somehow. I initially saw it just as a genre scene, but with your insight about the composition and the influence of Mannerism it makes the whole piece richer. Like they’re participating in a performance more than just working the field. Curator: Exactly! Maybe a performance not just for our eyes, but for their own! I feel my view shifting now thanks to your fresh interpretation! It's always astonishing how collaboration brings out facets in an artwork. Editor: Definitely! It's given me a much better sense of the time period, beyond just dates.