Pleasures of Occupation 1620 - 1684

Editor: Here we have "Pleasures of Occupation," a 17th-century engraving by Cornelis Bloemaert, currently residing at the Met. It features two figures, one standing and one reclined, within a rather barren landscape. There's something quite melancholy about the scene, even though the title suggests pleasure. What do you make of it? Curator: Melancholy, yes, a fitting sentiment! Though, perhaps it’s not sadness exactly, but the gentle exhaustion of simply *being*. I always feel with these genre scenes of working folk, is a whisper about the small pockets of peace found amidst the toils of daily life. See how the standing figure pauses, almost statuesque, before those tiny birds taking flight? Is it pleasure, perhaps, in that transient observation? The world outside seems to hold its breath in that precise moment. Editor: I see what you mean. So it's not necessarily about grand, overt joys, but about these fleeting moments of respite and observation? Curator: Exactly! Bloemaert draws our attention to the quiet dignity in these everyday scenes. And note the line beneath the image: En vice curriculi blandus mihi fungitur Hylax, Blanditys minuens tædia Conga viæ... It suggests a substitute for movement, something sweet that alleviates the tedium of the long road. Is the dog their “Hylax”? Editor: That's beautifully put. I’d been focusing on the apparent bleakness, but you've shifted my perspective completely. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure! Art is so much richer when we wander in it, hand in hand. What felt, initially, as emptiness transforms to a silent conversation... perhaps the true occupation here isn't in labour but instead this reflective space between two strangers or sojourners of the world.