Portret van Joseph Calasanz 1723 - 1762

Editor: So, here we have Johann Wenzel Engelmann’s “Portret van Joseph Calasanz,” made sometime between 1723 and 1762. It's a small print, an engraving, really quite detailed. It has a devotional feel, but something about the composition strikes me as a bit...crowded. What do you see in it? Curator: Crowded is a kind word! For me, this print feels like a visual feast—a hodgepodge of religious iconography! You have the angels, the halo, even what appears to be his scholarly texts, but where it sings, for me, is how Engelmann uses light and shadow. Look closely—where does your eye linger? Editor: Definitely on Joseph Calasanz's face. The halo helps! Curator: Precisely! That's where Engelmann directs our focus. The sharp, precise lines of the engraving almost give him a beatific glow, separating him from the softer, more decorative elements. The intensity in his gaze elevates him. It feels a bit…manufactured, doesn't it? This perfect piety. Does it move you, though? Editor: Not really. It feels very staged, more about conveying a message than revealing a person. It makes me wonder what the intended audience thought of it, though. Curator: Exactly! These prints circulated widely, reinforcing specific ideas and ideals. And you are right: it's less about individual artistry and more about visual rhetoric. Did you notice the chalice detail near the bottom, as well as a miter? All that in such a tiny format! It tells its viewers volumes in a brief glance. Editor: I didn’t notice those small details. Thanks, now I understand that, even in something seemingly straightforward, there’s always a layered conversation happening. Curator: Always! It's in those conversations that art comes alive for us.