Reuk 1628 - 1689

Curator: At first glance, it’s busy but balanced, isn’t it? There's a foreground bustling with activity and a slightly more reserved middle ground. Editor: We're observing a print by Melchior Hamers, dating from roughly 1628 to 1689, titled "Reuk." Given the presence of text below the artwork "ODORATVS", "Reuk" is the Dutch word for "smell," placing this within a broader symbolic context of the senses, which speaks to much more than a straightforward depiction. Curator: That's fascinating, Editor! I immediately thought it had a market-day feel. The grouping of people and goods evokes the sense of community around commerce. Does the reference to ‘smell’ alter that initial impression for you? Editor: Consider that in allegorical series from the era, like the five senses, each sense acts as a window into not just the physical world, but the soul. What’s striking is how ‘smell,’ as suggested by this print, isn't a solitary, passive intake; rather, it's communal, intertwined with social exchange and human activity. Look how carefully the groups have been arranged within the formal aspects of the work; it mirrors an interior landscape of emotional responses. Curator: True. The expressions are captivating. Several individuals look intently toward the interaction between the central figures, one even smelling something they seem to have procured. There is an underlying element of judgment and assessment communicated by how the artist uses figuration to express a narrative. Editor: Notice also the etching style; the cross-hatching and fine lines create a sense of atmospheric perspective, softening what could otherwise be a rigid, documentary style. It underscores the transitory, fleeting nature of scent and memory as connected with it. The people depicted reflect a kind of self-aware drama that seems conscious of time itself, as etched within a baroque sentimentality. Curator: That brings out new details; I like that sense of the fleeting. Editor: "Reuk" serves not just as an image, but a complex sensorial record. We can experience cultural memory expressed in material form. Curator: Precisely. Thank you for clarifying aspects of symbolic language at work here, enhancing my perspective toward its meaning and significance.