Paris onthaald door Menelaüs en Helena 1677 - 1755

Editor: So, this is "Paris onthaald door Menelaüs en Helena" by Elias van Nijmegen, dating from around 1677 to 1755. It’s an ink and pen drawing on toned paper. It’s funny; I’m struck by how light and almost…theatrical it feels, like a stage set! What jumps out at you when you look at this work? Curator: That theatricality, you’re right on! To me, it whispers of grand opera and the exaggerated emotions so loved in Baroque art. Look at the gestures – everyone is performing. I’m wondering about that reception scene – it's fascinating to think of it not just as a moment in the *Iliad*, but as a play within a play, a re-enactment that ripples through history. I wonder, what emotions do you think van Nijmegen wanted to elicit from his audience? Editor: Hmmm… given the story, maybe a sense of foreboding? Knowing Paris’s arrival sets off the Trojan War… Curator: Precisely. See how the artist uses light and shadow – almost like a spotlight – to highlight certain figures? It’s creating a mood, layering on that dramatic tension. Does the composition tell you something about the power dynamics between Paris, Menelaus and Helen? Editor: It definitely does. Menelaus seems to be gesturing, asserting his power maybe, while Helen looks almost…detached? I guess that’s the tension right there! Curator: Yes, a domestic tableau filled with historical weight, filtered through Van Nijmegen’s personal vision. He makes the personal incredibly…political, don’t you think? Editor: Definitely. It's made me see the familiar story with new eyes. It's more complex, somehow! Curator: Absolutely, and that's the magic of art, isn't it?