Een brutale man 1675

Editor: We’re looking at “Een brutale man,” or “An impudent man,” a 1675 etching and ink drawing by Giuseppe Maria Mitelli, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The scene feels rustic and perhaps a bit humorous, with the figure reaching for fruit on a tree. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Immediately, I’m drawn to how this image reflects the social hierarchies of the time. Mitelli was an engraver and printmaker working during the Baroque era. Images like this were often circulated as social commentary. Notice how the figure, presumably a peasant, is quite literally climbing to grasp something seemingly out of reach. Editor: So, the fruit represents something more? Curator: Possibly. Consider the title, "An Impudent Man." What does it suggest to you about how society viewed those who might challenge the established order? Are the pears a stand-in for money, love, or recognition? And grapes alongside pears? Editor: Perhaps. It sounds like a critique of social climbing or ambition beyond one's station, highlighting the tensions between different classes within 17th-century society. The inclusion of text does strengthen this social angle. Curator: Exactly! The politics of imagery, how art shapes and reflects social norms and power structures, is really important. This image asks us: who is allowed to reach for what, and what are the consequences of challenging those boundaries? What do you make of his ragged clothes and tools? Editor: Now I understand this character has more layers to it. I thought at first that he was simply harvesting the fruit.