Flying exercise before 1967

Editor: This is "Flying Exercise," an etching by Aat Verhoog, created before 1967 and held at the Rijksmuseum. It depicts these almost dream-like figures with wings… There's a sort of diagrammatic figure on one side, and these almost frantic, blue, winged children running on the other. What do you see in it? Curator: This piece, for me, is less about individual expression and more about Verhoog's engagement with the broader historical and socio-political narratives. He's grappling with ideas around progress and human potential, and perhaps also anxieties about those very things. The Renaissance diagrammatic figure seems to speak of the Enlightenment's ideals and faith in human reason. But consider those almost desperate figures taking flight. Do they represent liberation, or perhaps a panicked escape? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, I was focusing on the Renaissance inspiration of flight…Da Vinci and such… Curator: Precisely. Verhoog sets up a dialogue between past and present. It makes us ask if the promises of the Renaissance—progress through science and art—have truly been fulfilled or whether they’ve led to new forms of oppression or disillusionment. Those frantic figures could suggest an unease, a challenge to the often-unquestioned narratives of progress. Are they being propelled or chased? Does it remind you of any contemporary issues we face? Editor: I see what you mean. Maybe it's about the pressure to constantly innovate and "take off," the exhausting demand for progress that can sometimes feel… empty? Curator: Exactly. This print invites us to consider the complex and often contradictory ways we understand our place in history, and how those histories shape our present. It's not just a technical exercise, but a critical commentary on Western society. Editor: That adds so much depth. It's like Verhoog is using the visual language of the Renaissance to question its very legacy. I'll definitely look at art with a more critical eye now.