Twee kapitelen, bloemornament en ornamentkop 1644 - 1718

Curator: Before us, we have "Twee kapitelen, bloemornament en ornamentkop," or "Two Capitals, Floral Ornament and Ornament Head," a pen, ink and paper drawing made sometime between 1644 and 1718 by Giuseppe Maria Mitelli. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. What springs to mind when you see this? Editor: There's a melancholic feel about it, I think—almost ghostly, perhaps? These fragmented architectural elements and that sorrowful face kind of linger. It's less a study, more an echo of grandeur, a collection of moods. Curator: Mitelli was, of course, working well within the Baroque tradition. So he’s embracing ornamentation, flourish... but in this intimate, almost tentative way. This isn't a finished work for public display, more of a record of architectural form. Editor: It’s funny though, the flower almost looks like it’s been plopped on the page from a completely different reality—more whimsical, less imposing. It adds a bizarre note of levity, contrasting the severity of those rigid architectural forms. Curator: The floral piece offers, structurally speaking, a study in contrast with the ornament heads: its softer organic forms directly opposes the sharp lines and rigid shapes that define the other elements, although they both echo the conventions of academic art.. Editor: Do you ever get the feeling artists would add these bits just to see what might happen? What new shapes might grow out of unexpected juxtapositions? What if that grimacing head was a self portrait reflecting the burden that classicism itself imposes? Curator: The mind wanders into many spaces while contemplating these contrasts, yes. What is recorded as study, may be the germination for great new creations. Editor: That’s a lovely sentiment. Makes you consider your own sketches in a new light—messy pages may just be gardens in disguise. Curator: Indeed. And hopefully, that's something our listeners will now carry forward, contemplating this artist's sketch, and even their own artistic dabblings, in novel light.