Extatisch visioen van Paulus 1625 - 1725

Curator: Before us we have "Ecstatic Vision of Paul" a print by Jean Dughet, dating from somewhere between 1625 and 1725. It's a fascinating depiction rendered with engraving techniques. Editor: My first thought is, "Wow, that guy is having a moment!" He's being carried by angels, looking totally blissed out, and the landscape below feels so distant and small. It’s as though he's seeing the universe. Curator: Exactly, the artwork shows a moment of spiritual transportation. It's deeply rooted in the period's fascination with religious experience and the saint's biography. Note that the very artistic interpretation is highly gendered. Editor: Oh, definitely, it has a powerful charge! Those figures are intense, and I feel like this is about transcendence but in a raw way. It is almost unsettling as the angels’ musculature seem too robust. Curator: Indeed. These religious historical pieces carry significant political weight. Representations such as this work offer commentary about how society is structured in terms of both piety and power. The landscape element is also very common; Dughet was also the brother-in-law of Poussin and a celebrated landscape artist in his own right. Editor: You’re so right! There is this duality within the artwork: St Paul and the angels versus a flat, linear landscape. The print style contributes to this interesting contrast between the tangible versus intangible or touchable elements of the artwork. I can definitely pick up this almost eerie mood—it's intense! Curator: Precisely, Jean Dughet places the viewer in an interesting position, inviting us to consider the very nature of ecstasy within systems of religious and social frameworks. Editor: It's more than just a historical relic. I will think about it long after I leave this exhibit. I keep picturing those wings. Curator: It's the convergence of technical skill, political commentary, and deeply intimate emotion. It gives us a view of how identity and power come to affect one another.