The Sense of Hearing; verso: light sketch of a woman's head and an arm 1570 - 1617

Editor: This drawing, "The Sense of Hearing," created between 1570 and 1617 by Hendrick Goltzius, is rendered in pencil. There’s a dreamy, almost surreal quality to the scene; what really strikes me is how the woman is depicted with the deer – it feels symbolic. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Considering Goltzius' historical context, and the Mannerist style, it’s hard not to see the erotic charge simmering beneath the surface. The nude figure, the intimacy with the deer, aren’t these visual cues inviting us to explore themes of sexuality, objectification, and perhaps even the societal constraints placed on women during that era? What stories might the female nude tell us about the cultural gaze then, and now? Editor: I hadn't considered it that way. I saw it as more allegorical, the deer representing nature and the woman a sort of harmony, maybe? Is it really about female constraints? Curator: That reading is certainly valid. Yet, isn’t that positioning of the female figure, seemingly passive, itself a constraint? Are we not also complicit in that gaze as viewers today? I think the drawing cleverly exposes tensions around representation. It demands that we engage in the power dynamics inherent in both its creation and our interpretation. It makes me question if we've really evolved as much as we claim from those historical perceptions. Editor: That makes so much sense. I hadn’t considered how much the drawing speaks to ongoing conversations. Curator: It’s about recognizing art history as a lens through which we can analyze contemporary issues. And hopefully challenge the way we perceive things. Editor: Thank you, it's given me a lot to think about regarding art’s role in shaping, and reflecting, societal norms. Curator: And for me, it is a reminder to look deeper beyond surface interpretations.