Toneel met personificatie van de Kracht (Fortitudo), 1578 1578 - 1579

Curator: Antoni van Leest's "Toneel met personificatie van de Kracht (Fortitudo)", dating from 1578-1579, certainly presents a fascinating spectacle. What’s your first impression of the piece? Editor: The staging is what immediately strikes me – a literal stage, it seems, meant to present 'Fortitudo.' The palette is muted, primarily pale reds, yellows and greys, giving it an almost theatrical quality. But, look at the composition: quite rigid and structured, the figure presented is very formal. Curator: Precisely. Notice how the artist utilizes color-pencil techniques to emphasize form and texture? The folds of Fortitudo's garment, the fractured pillar she supports – the colored-pencil both delineates and softens, guiding the eye strategically. Consider how Mannerism revels in complexity. Editor: I see what you mean. Thinking of it as "theatre", it places "Fortitudo" and, of course "Power", front and center, likely reflective of the anxieties and power plays within 16th-century society where such virtues were desperately needed during times of religious and political strife. But I wonder who exactly the target audience was for a symbolic image like this? Curator: Ah, an excellent question! We can tell from this colored-pencil and print composition, and the prominent figure on display, the intent of history-painting within a very elite, probably intellectual, circle during a tumultuous period of power struggles. What message did van Leest want to convey with that staging, beyond "Power"? Editor: Well, perhaps he hoped to solidify power and present it as unshakable strength within political unrest of that period? In that setting, the pillar representing Power is intentionally fragmented! What I keep coming back to are those rather odd coats of arms on each upper corner of the piece: almost as if ‘Power’ can come from different people or directions depending on the circumstances. The use of print allowed distribution to a wide but powerful base... Curator: Indeed. Print media as a method of wider circulation absolutely speaks to accessibility of imagery to that influential core, while maintaining quality due to colored pencil's fine qualities. A potent combination serving very practical functions. I’m quite drawn to the internal symmetry around a blank frame. It speaks volumes to possibilities of power to me, depending on circumstance… Editor: A really apt description that adds many possibilities to how one could interpret this presentation and "Personification of Power." Thank you. Curator: My pleasure, every visual consideration illuminates both van Leest's methodology as well as how art fulfills and enhances social necessities!