Cimone en Ifigenia 1599 - 1603

Editor: This is "Cimone en Ifigenia", an engraving by Jacob Matham, created between 1599 and 1603. The nude figure of Ifigenia immediately grabs your attention. The composition feels balanced, almost staged, even within the natural setting. What stylistic choices stand out to you? Curator: The balanced composition and deliberate arrangement are certainly key. Note how Matham orchestrates the interplay of light and shadow, defining form and space. The hatching technique, creating those tonal gradations, also emphasizes the textures of the skin, fabric, and foliage. Editor: I notice that there is an inscription in Latin below. Curator: Yes, consider how the text interacts with the image. Its inclusion affects our understanding, acting as a textual anchor to the depicted scene. Further consider the figures' relationships within the frame – where does your eye travel, and how does Matham guide you there through line and form? Editor: My eye goes from the Cupid fountain on the upper left to Cimone staring down at the breast of the sleeping Ifigenia. Curator: Precisely. Think about that intentional staging of looking that Matham uses. It directs us, the viewers, through the same narrative that Cimone experiences, effectively including us within that exchange of gazes. Do you find Matham has made Ifigenia look to be a true likeness? Editor: It appears more to be the idea of beauty. Something very neoclassical for that period. So much learned just through the line. Curator: Absolutely. By analyzing the arrangement of the piece we are led toward the full story told only by these intentional gestures.