Vuur 1618 - 1655

Curator: I find myself immediately drawn to the somber quality evoked by this sketch; a certain stillness seems to emanate from it. Editor: Indeed. Cornelis Schut’s pen and ink drawing, "Vuur," created sometime between 1618 and 1655, currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum, presents a remarkable study. Look at the strategic use of line and shadow to produce a mood that borders on melancholic. Curator: Schut's use of ink in these quick sketches hints at the reality of limited resources, and how baroque artists would be reliant on the availability and cost of materials. Pen and paper were often more accessible for study sketches compared to canvas and oil paint. This probably had direct effects on subject matter—no lavish court scenes rendered in portable media! Editor: Observe, though, the economy of line. See how, with swift strokes, the artist models the nude figure—there's a definite sensuality to the handling, the texture of the laid paper. Also, how do you read the space around the figure itself? Note how the parallel marks could simply render shading, but could just as easily imply depth, almost as though to emphasize containment within clearly delimited space. Curator: This tension between the potential representation of fire versus mere textural effect points toward material realities of making art versus representing classical tropes and the social constraints of the patron class who consumes it. Editor: True, but consider that it’s also characteristic of the Baroque aesthetic to relish contrast: light and shadow, the sublime and the earthly. The very dynamism he achieves with these simple materials is striking. Curator: To that point, there’s a direct correlation between the increased supply and distribution of paper media during the baroque period and an artist's choice to use more cost effective means. Editor: Ultimately, Schut offers us not only a visual experience of art in simple but precise ways, but it compels one to also imagine an emotional narrative centered on introspection. Thank you for that, that consideration opens up so many productive perspectives.