Venus and Adonis 1696 - 1727

Curator: This engraving, created sometime between 1696 and 1727 by Matthijs Pool, is titled "Venus and Adonis." It currently resides here at the Rijksmuseum. What's your first reaction to it? Editor: My initial impression is of a stylized tenderness, yet underpinned with a distinct sense of melancholy. There's something almost fragile about their embrace. Curator: Indeed. Looking at it through a lens of queer theory, it’s fascinating how Pool depicts the male figure, Adonis, as equally idealized, presented with a vulnerability rarely afforded to men in art of this period. The image seems to deliberately dismantle conventional gender dynamics. Editor: That's a compelling perspective. I'm also struck by how Cupid is portrayed – seemingly more interested in the dogs than the lovers! The symbols of love—the quiver of arrows—feel secondary here, suggesting a waning or complicated affection. Are the dogs intended to symbolize marital fidelity and is Cupid perhaps finding more sincere affection in these faithful creatures? Curator: Precisely. Considering the era's complex social structures, Pool may be subtly commenting on the constraints and artificiality of relationships predicated on societal expectation. There's a suggestion of desire being misdirected. Or at the very least not operating within expected confines. Editor: The presence of that drinking vessel near Adonis – could it be a suggestion of indulgence, a means of escape? Venus's body is illuminated and on full display. Is she complicit in this relationship because she has the power to take and use? She almost feels more possessive than affectionate. Curator: That reading aligns with broader conversations about female agency in visual culture. Pool may be using the classical story as a canvas to discuss the social pressures placed upon women in regards to sexuality. It offers an intriguing counterpoint to typical Baroque interpretations. Editor: It all leads back to that pervading melancholy. The very iconography, the love symbols and allegorical context is present but seems like window dressing in service to the pain beneath. Curator: Thank you. It seems through careful interpretation we were able to surface multiple possibilities beyond what immediately meets the eye. Editor: Indeed, a valuable exercise for navigating our world of images.