Opstanding 1513 - 1575

Curator: Take a moment to observe Giovanni Battista Scultori's "Opstanding," dating sometime between 1513 and 1575, held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Right. Immediately, I see figures scattered in disarray below a luminous central figure. The mood is almost violent, punctuated by sudden bursts of light and swirling dark clouds. Curator: Indeed. Scultori has captured the Resurrection with incredible dynamism. Note how Christ is elevated, almost bursting from the constraints of the earth. His body language reads triumph, radiating energy. Editor: What strikes me are the various arms and weapons depicted: spears, shields… the human effort and energy deployed in direct confrontation with divinity. It’s so raw. Why that sense of struggle, I wonder? Curator: That depiction mirrors the prevailing iconographic traditions, showing Christ’s victory over earthly powers and death itself. Those fallen figures? They represent the soldiers and earthly impediments overcome by the divine will. Editor: Yes, I can see the layers, the visual coding. The darkness, the figures in armor…it speaks of power structures being disrupted. There’s an element of societal transformation visualized there too, wouldn’t you agree? Almost revolutionary, given its context. Curator: Absolutely, the visual language would certainly resonate with contemporary audiences. Consider too the technique—the linework itself conveys so much emotion; those hatching marks create form but also contribute to that overall sense of turbulence and power. Editor: So true! Thinking of it more broadly, religious iconography so often tries to visualize what is, at its heart, beyond visualization: the transcendental. This, here, isn’t a quiet reflection. This is raw, unbridled, glorious…energy made manifest. Curator: I'll definitely carry that image with me today, an engraving brimming with complex meaning and raw power. Editor: And I think that’s where its timeless appeal resides: in visualizing that powerful moment when the divine breaks through our perceived reality. Food for thought, indeed.